THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 


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The 
Island  of  the  Stairs 

By  CYRUS  TOWNSEND  BRADY 


Author  of  "The  Island  of  Regeneration,"  "As  the 
Sparks  Fly  Upward,"  "The  West  Wind,"  Etc. 


With  Four  Illustrations  By 
THE  KINNEYS 


A.  L  BURT  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS 

114-120  East  Twenty-third  Street      -      -      New  York 

PUBLISHED  BY  ARRANGEMENT  WITH  A.  C.  McCLURG  &  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT 

A.  C  McCLURG  &  CO. 
1913 


Published  November,  1913 


Copyrighted  in  Great  Britain 


This  story  is  affectionately 

dedicated  to  my  far-off  adventurous 

Brother-in-law, 

E.  S.  BARRETT 


2229207 


EDITOR'S  NOTE 

In  order  to  safeguard  the  reputation  of  that 
worthy  seaman  and  most  gallant  gentleman  who 
writes  this  memoir,  the  editor  thereof  deems  it 
proper  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  Master 
Hampdon  has  described  accurately  the  Island 
of  Mangaia  of  the  Cook,  or  Hervey,  group  in  the 
South  Seas.  It  is  still  completely  encircled  by 
the  unbroken  barrier  reef,  over  which  the  natives 
ride  in  their  light  canoes.  The  stairs  still  exist 
despite  the  earthquake  to  which  Master  Hamp- 
don refers — and  other  upheavals  which  may 
have  followed — and  are  still  traversed  by  the 
feet  of  curious,  if  infrequent,  visitors.  For  the 
rest,  such  altars  and  platforms  as  he  and  his  little 
lady  found  still  abound  in  the  South  Seas.  Also 
on  Easter  Island,  and  on  others,  too,  such  statues 
of  the  grotesque  and  hideous  "Stone  Goddes"  as 
he  describes  may  be  seen.  Who  made  them  and 
why,  as  well  as  when  they  were  put  there,  are  as 
much  mysteries  today  as  they  were  when,  in  that 
far-off  time,  Master  Hampdon  and  his  lady 


EDITOR'S  NOTE 

gailcd  those  then  unknown  seas  in  that  brave  lit- 
tle barque  The  Rose  of  Devon. 

C.  T.  B. 
Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  flight  from  the  place  of  horror       .      .      .  Frontispiece 

PAGE 

"The  treasure  is  thereabouts"       .      .      .      ...      •      .122 

Then  she  bent  over  me J9° 

She  had  stepped  out  by  my  side    .,     .,     .,    :.:     .«     •      •  290 


BOOK  I 

WITHIN  THE  CASTLE  WALLS 
The  Bequest  of  the  Old  Buccaneer 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE 
STAIRS 

CHAPTER  I 

WHEREIN  I  BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

I  CANNOT  say  that  I  was  greatly  surprised 
when  I  stumbled  across  the  body  of  Sir 
Geoffrey  in  the  spinney,  which  is  not  for  a  mo- 
ment meant  to  convey  the  impression  that  I  was 
not  shocked.  Many  times  before  that  morning 
in  my  long  and  adventurous  life  I  had,  as  I  have 
often  since,  seen  many  people  die  in  all  sorts  of 
sudden  and  dreadful  ways,  in  all  parts  of  the 
globe,  too.  And  in  some  cases  where  the  suf- 
ferer was  past  hope  and  the  suffering  great,  I 
have  prayed  for  the  good  mercy  of  a  quick  end; 
but  never,  even  under  such  circumstances,  have 
I  been  able  to  look  upon  death  philosophically, 
at  least  afterwards.  The  shock  is  always  there. 
It  always  will  be,  I  imagine ;  indeed  I  would  not 

i 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

have  it  otherwise.  I  hope  never  to  be  indiffer- 
ent to  the  passing  of  that  strange  mysterious 
thing  we  call  life.  But  I  digress. 

Truth  to  tell,  I  had  expected  that  Sir  Geof- 
frey would  come  to  some  such  sad  end,  there- 
fore, I  repeat  that  I  was  not  surprised;  but  as  I 
stood  over  him  in  the  gray  dawn,  looking  down 
upon  him  lying  so  quietly  on  his  back  with  the 
handsome,  silver-mounted,  ivory-handled  duel- 
ing pistol,  with  which  he  had  killed  himself, 
still  clasped  in  his  right  hand,  I  was  fascinated 
with  horror.  I  was  younger  then  and  not  so 
accustomed  to  sudden  death  as  I  have  become 
since  so  many  years  and  so  much  hard  service 
have  passed  over  my  head. 

And  this  was  in  a  large  measure  a  personal 
loss.  At  least  I  felt  it  so  for  Mistress  Lucy's 
sake,  and  for  my  own,  too.  Sir  Geoffery  had 
been  my  ideal  of  the  fine  gentleman  of  his  time. 
I  liked  him  much.  He  had  often  honored  me 
with  notice  and  generally  spoke  me  fair  and 
pleasantly. 

In  his  situation  some  men  would  have  blown 
out  their  brains — and  there  would  have  been  a 
singular  appositeness  in  the  action  in  his  case — 

2 


BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

but  Sir  Geoffrey  had  carefully  put  his  bullet 
through  his  heart.  It  was  less  disfiguring  and 
brutal,  less  hard  on  those  left  behind,  less 
troublesome,  more  gentlemanly!  I  divined  that 
was  his  thought.  He  was  ever  considerate  in 
small  matters. 

The  red  stain  that  had  welled  over  the  fine 
ruffled  linen,  otherwise  spotless,  of  his  shirt  and 
the  powder  marks  and  burns  still  visible  thereon 
in  spite  of  the  dried  blood,  all  indicated  clearly 
what  had  happened.  The  pistol  was  a  short 
one,  heavy  in  build,  made  for  close  work,  else  he 
could  never  have  used  it  so  effectively.  For  the 
rest,  he  was  clad  in  his  richest  and  best  apparel. 
His  sword  lay  underneath  him,  the  diamond- 
studded  hilt  protruding.  He  must  have  fallen 
lightly,  gently,  I  thought,  because  his  body  lay 
easily  on  its  back  and  his  dress  was  not  greatly 
disturbed. 

I  guessed  that  he  was  glad  enough,  after  all, 
that  the  end  had  come,  for  his  countenance  had 
not  that  look  of  pain,  or  horror,  or  fear  upon  it, 
which  I  have  so  often  seen  on  the  face  of  the 
dead.  His  features  were  calm  and  composed. 
Evidently  he  had  not  been  dead  long.  I  remem- 

3 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

ber  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  reach  down  and 
gently  close  his  eyes.  I  shall  never  forget  them 
to  my  dying  day.  They  were  dreadfully  star- 
ing. As  I  bent  over  him  for  this  purpose  I 
noticed  that  he  had  something  in  his  left  hand. 
That  hand  was  resting  lightly  by  the  hilt  of  his 
sword  as  if  he  had  stood  with  his  left  hand 
on  his  sword  in  that  gallant  defiant  position 
which  I  had  often  enough  seen  him  assume, 
when  he  pressed  the  trigger  with  his  right  hand. 
As  he  had  fallen,  his  hand  had  been  lifted  a 
little  away  from  the  sword  and  in  his  fingers 
there  was  a  paper.  A  nearer  look  showed  it 
to  be  an  envelope.  I  drew  it  away  and,  glancing 
at  it,  saw  that  it  was  addressed  to  Mistress  Lucy. 
Thrusting  it  in  the  pocket  of  my  coat,  I  rose  to 
my  feet. 

At  that  instant  I  heard  steps  and  voices. 
Now  I  had  nothing  on  earth  to  fear  from  any- 
body. The  death  of  Sir  Geoffrey  was  too  obvi- 
ously a  suicide  for  anyone  to  accuse  me,  even  if 
there  had  been  any  reason  whatever  for  bring- 
ing me  under  suspicion.  The  letter  which  I 
carried  in  my  pocket  addressed  to  Mistress  Lucy 
would  undoubtedly  explain  everything  there 

4 


BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

was  to  explain.  Something,  however,  moved 
me  to  seek  concealment.  I  am  a  sailor,  as  you 
will  find  out,  and  act  quickly  in  an  emergency 
by  a  sort  of  instinct.  On  the  sea  men  have  little 
time  for  reflection.  The  crisis  is  frequently 
upon  one  with  little  or  no  warning,  and  generally 
it  must  needs  be  met  on  the  instant  and  without 
deliberation. 

Sir  Geoffrey  lay  on  the  side  of  the  path  which 
ran  through  the  spinney  and  beyond  him  the 
coppice  thickened.  The  path  twisted  and 
turned.  Prom  the  sound  of  the  -footsteps,  I 
judged  that  men  were  coming  along  it.  I  in- 
stantly stepped  across  the  body  and  concealed 
myself  behind  a  tree  trunk  in  the  leafy  foliage 
of  the  undergrowth.  I  could  see  without  being 
seen,  and  hear  as  well. 

The  approaching  footsteps  might  belong  to 
some  of  the  gamekeepers,  to  a  stray  poacher,  to 
some  of  the  servants  of  the  castle,  or  to  some  one 
who,  like  myself,  had  been  abroad  in  the  gray 
dawn  and  had  been  attracted  to  the  spot  by  the 
sound  of  the  shot,  although  they  approached 
over  leisurely  for  that.  I  was  prepared  for  any 
of  these  things  but  I  did  not  expect  that  any  of 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

the  guests  of  the  castle  would  make  their  ap- 
pearance at  that  hour.  The  footsteps  stopped. 
Two  men,  one  of  whom  had  been  pointed  out  to 
me  as  Baron  Luftdon  in  the  lead  followed  by 
another  who  was  strange  to  me,  suddenly  ap- 
peared. A  voice  which  I  recognized  as  the 
baron's  at  once  exclaimed  in  awestruck  tones : 

"By  gad,  he's  done  it!" 

"Yes,"  drawled  the  other,  whose  cold  blooded 
calmness  was  in  marked  contrast  with  the  un- 
wonted excitement  of  the  first  speaker,  "I  rather 
expected  it." 

"Here  's  a  pretty  affair,"  said  the  first  man. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  the  second  indif- 
ferently, "it  might  be  worse." 

"Worse  for  him?  Great  heavens,  man,  he  's 
dead!" 

"Worse  for  us." 

"What  d'  ye  mean?     I  don't  understand." 

"Well,  for  instance,  he  might  have  shot  him- 
self before  we — ah — plucked  him." 

"Oh,  I  see,"  returned  my  lord  with  a  rather 
askant  glance  at  his  companion,  for  which  I 
almost  respected  him  for  the  moment. 

The  two  stepped  a  little  nearer.  .The  first 

6 


BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

speaker,  Lord  Luftdon,  one  of  the  young  bloods 
who  had  been  having  high  carouse  with  Sir 
Geoffrey  for  the  past  week  at  the  castle,  bent 
over  him. 

"There  's  no  doubt  about  his  being  dead,  I 
suppose?"  he  asked  after  a  brief  inspection. 

"Good  gad,  no,"  replied  the  second  man  with 
a  contemptuous  laugh.  "Where  are  your  wits, 
man?  He  must  have  held  the  muzzle  of  the 
pistol  close  to  his  breast.  See  how  his  shirt  is 
burned  and  powder  blackened.  He  must  have 
died  instantly." 

"I  suppose  you  are  right." 

"Well,"  continued  the  drawler  nonchalantly 
— as  for  me  I  hated  them  both  but  the  latter 
speaker  the  more  if  possible,  for  reasons  which 
you  will  presently  understand — "this  relieves 
me  greatly." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"You  are  very  stupid  this  morning,  man  ami" 
returned  the  other,  gracefully  taking  a  pinch  of 
snuff  and  laughing  again  with  that  horrible 
indifference  to  the  dead  man  who  had  been  his 
host  and  friend. 

"After  such  a  night  as  we  had,  to  come  thus 

7 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

suddenly  upon — this — 't  is  enough  to  unsettle  any 
man,"  muttered  Luftdon  apologetically. 

"Pooh,  pooh!  man,  you're  nervous." 

"Well,  I  don't  know  how  it  relieves  you. 
And  after  all 's  said  and  done,  Wilberforce  was 
a  gentleman,  a  good  player  and  a  gallant  loser, 
and  I  liked  him." 

"Exactly,  I  liked  him  too,  well  enough.  And 
he  lost  his  all  like  a  gentleman." 

"And  you  got  it,  at  least  most  of  it." 

"Patience,  my  friend,  you  had  your  share,  you 
know,"  returned  the  other  with  his  damnable 
composure. 

"I  don't  know  but  I  'd  give  it  back  to  have 
poor  old  Geoff  with  us  once  again,"  retorted 
Luftdon  with  some  heat. 

"That  is  a  perfectly  foolish  statement,  my 
buck,"  returned  the  other,  philosophically  tak- 
ing snuff.  "  Somebody  was  bound  to  get  it; 
Wilberforce  has  been  going  the  pace  for  years ; 
we  happened  to  be  in  at  the  death,  that 's  all." 

"Well,  how  does  it  relieve  you,  then?  Do 
you  think  Wilberforce  would  have  attempted  to 
get  you  to  support  him?" 

The  drawler  laughed. 

8 


BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

"Of  course  not,  this" — he  pointed  to  the  dead 
body — "is  proof  enough  of  the  spirit  that  was 
in  him;  but  of  course,  I  cannot  marry  the  girl 


now." 


"You  can't?" 

"Certainly  not.  Her  father  a  bankrupt  and 
a  suicide — " 

"But  the  castle  and  this  park?" 

"Mortgaged  up  to  the  hilt.  Speaking  of 
hilts — "  he  stooped  down  and  daintily  avoiding 
contact  with  the  corpse,  drew  from  the  scabbard 
the  diamond-hiked  sword — "this  belongs  to  me. 
It 's  worth  taking.  You  remember  he  staked  it 
last  night  on  the  last  deal." 

"Good  God,  man,"  protested  the  first  speaker, 
"don't  take  the  man's  sword  away.  Let  him  lie 
with  his  weapons  like  a  gentleman." 

"Tut,  tut,  you  grow  scrupulous,  it  seems.  We 
will  provide  him  a  cheaper  badge  of  his  knight- 
hood, if  necessary,"  returned  the  other  lightly. 

"And  about  the  girl?" 

"  T  is  all  off." 

"You  will  have  some  trouble  breaking  your 
engagement  with  her,  I  am  thinking." 

"Not  I.    To  do  her  justice,  the  wench  has 

9 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

the  spirit  of  her  father.  A  whisper  that  I  am 
— er — disinclined  to  the  match  will  be  quite 
sufficient." 

"Aye,  but  who  will  give  her  that  whisper?" 

"We  will  arrange  that  some  way.  Truth  to 
tell,  I  am  rather  tired  of  the  minx,  she  bores  me 
with  her  high  airs.  She  does  not  know  that  she 
is  penniless  and  disgraced.  And  as  for  her  good 
looks — 't  is  a  country  beauty  after  all." 

"Poor  girl — "  began  Luftdon,  whose  face, 
though  bloated  and  flushed  and  seamed  with  the 
outward  and  visible  evidences  of  his  evil  life, 
still  showed  some  signs  of  human  kindness. 

At  that  point  I  intervened.  I  could  bear  no 
more.  When  they  spake  so  slightingly  of  my 
little  mistress  it  was  more  than  I  could  stand. 
I  burst  out  of  the  brush  and  stood  before  them 
— mad,  enraged  all  through  me.  I  will  admit 
that  I  lacked  the  composure  and  breeding  of  that 
precious  pair.  What  I  had  heard  had  filled  me 
with  as  hot  an  indignation  as  ever  possessed  the 
soul  of  man,  and  with  every  moment  the  fire  of 
my  resentment  burned  higher  and  more  furi- 
ously. They  started  back  at  my  sudden  appear- 
ance, in  some  little  discomfiture,  from  which  he 

10 


BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

of  the  slower  speech  the  more  speedily  recov- 
ered. He  was  the  greater  man,  and  eke  the 
greater  villain.  The  younger,  the  one  with  the 
red  face,  looked  some  of  the  discomposure  he 
felt.  The  other  presently  leered  at  me  in  a  de- 
liberate and  well  intentioned  insulting  way  and 
began : 

"Now  who  may  you  be,  my  man,  and  what 
may  you  want?" 

"Who  I  may  be  matters  nothing,"  said  I,  "but 
what  I  want  matters  a  great  deal." 

"Ah!  And  what  is  it  that  you  want  that  mat- 
ters so  much?" 

"In  the  first  place,  that  sword." 

"This?"  asked  the  sneering  man,  holding  Sir 
Geoffrey's  handsome  weapon  lightly  by  the 
blade  and  smiling  contemptuously  at  me. 

"That,"  answered  I  with  equal  scorn. 

I  am  accustomed  to  move  quickly  as  well  as 
to  think  quickly,  and  before  he  knew  it,  I  had 
it  by  the  hilt  and  but  that  he  released  the  blade 
instantly  I  would  have  cut  his  hand  as  I  with- 
drew it.  He  swung  round  and  clapped  his  hand 
on  his  own  sword,  a  fierce  oath  breaking  from 
his  lips,  his  face  black  as  a  thundercloud. 

ii 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"Don't  draw  that  little  spit  of  yours,"  I  said, 
"or  I  will  be  under  the  necessity  of  breaking 
your  back." 

I  towered  above  both  of  them  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that  I  could  have  made  good  my  boast. 
Yet,  to  do  him  justice,  the  man  had  the  courage 
of  his  race  and  station.  He  faced  me  un- 
daunted, his  hand  on  his  sword  hilt. 

"Would  you  rob  me  of  mine  own,  Sirrah?" 
he  asked  more  calmly  if  not  less  irritatingly. 

"I  might  do  so,  and  with  justice,"  I  replied. 
"You  had  no  hesitation  in  robbing  the  living  or 
the  dead." 

"Zounds!"  cried  the  other  man,  touched  on 
the  raw  of  a  guilty  conscience  apparently,  "  't  was 
in  fair  play.  We  risked  each  what  we  had  and 
Sir  Geoffrey  lost." 

"Yes,  I  see,"  I  replied.  "Having  paid  you 
with  everything  else,  and  possessing  nothing 
beside,  he  had  to  throw  away  his  life  in  the  end. 
I  heard  what  you  said.  You  wonder  how  Mis- 
tress Wilberforce  is  to  learn  the  situation — you 
who  have  doubtless  once  borne  the  reputation  of 
a  man  of  honor!  You  wonder  who  is  to  tell  her 
that  you  discard  her.  I  will." 

12 


BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

"That  is  good,  well  thought  of,  yokel,"  said 
the  drawler  with  amazing  assurance,  and  keep- 
ing his  temper  in  a  way  that  increased  mine,  "I 
could  not  have  wished  it  better.  As  for  your 
reflections  upon  me  they  interest  me  not  at  all. 
You  are  doubtless  some  servant  of  the  house — " 

"I  am  no  man's  servant,"  I  interrupted  in  some 
heat. 

"Somebody  born  on  the  place  who  probably 
cherishes  a  peasant's  humble  admiration  for  the 
lady  of  the  manor,"  he  continued. 

I  displayed  the  red  ensign  in  my  weather 
beaten  cheeks  at  this.  I  never  was  good  at  the 
dissimulation  that  goes  on  in  polite  society  and 
I  never  could  control  my  color  for  all  I  am 
bronzed  with  the  wind  and  spray  of  all  the  seas, 
to  say  nothing  of  tropic  suns. 

"Ah,"  he  laughed  sneeringly,  taking  keen 
note  of  my  confusion,  "see  the  red  banner  of 
confession  in  the  brute's  face,  Lord  Luftdon." 

"I  see  it,  of  course,"  said  the  other,  whose 
frowning  face  was  far  redder  than  my  own, 
though  from  drink — "but  I  must  confess  that 
personally  I  don't  like  the  allusion." 

"That  for  your  likes,  Luftdon,"  cried  the  other 

13 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

as  contemptuous  of  his  companion  as  of  me  ap- 
parently. "Tell  her,  my  man,  tell  her.  Tell 
her  that  she  is  a  beggar  and  her  father  a  suicide, 
and  that  I  have  all  her  property  without  her. 
She  can  go  to  your  arms  or  those  of  any  other 
she  fancies.  She  is  not  meet  for  the  Duke  of 
Arcester." 

So  this  was  Arcester!  I  had  heard  of  him, 
as  I  had  of  Luftdon,  two  of  the  most  debauched, 
unprincipled  rakes,  idlers,  fortune  hunters, 
gamblers,  men-about-town,  in  all  England.  But 
of  the  two  he  bore  much  the  worse  reputation. 
Indeed,  no  one  in  that  day  surpassed  him  in  base- 
ness and  villainy.  But  that  he  was  a  duke,  he 
had  been  branded,  jailed,  or  even  hanged  long 
since  in  England.  But  I  cared  nothing  for  his 
dukedom.  As  he  spoke  thus  slightingly  of  my 
lady,  I  stepped  closer  to  him  and  struck  him  with 
the  palm  of  my  hand.  I  suppose  a  gentleman 
would  have  tapped  him  lightly  but  not  being  of 
that  degree  I  struck  hard  across  the  face,  not 
so  hard  as  I  might  have,  to  be  sure,  for  I  could 
doubtless  have  killed  him,  but  hard  enough  to 
make  him  reel  and  stagger.  His  sword  was  out 
on  the  moment  but  before  he  could  make  a  pass  I 


BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

wrenched  it  from  him,  broke  the  blade  over  my 
knee  and  hurled  the  two  pieces  into  the  coppice. 

"I  can  match  you  with  swords,"  said  I,  coolly 
enough  now  that  the  issue  was  made  and  the 
battle  about  to  be  joined.  "I  have  fought  with 
men,  not  popinjays,  in  my  day,  all  over  the  world, 
and  I  know  the  use  of  the  weapon ;  but  I  would 
not  demean  myself,  being  an  honest  man  though 
no  gentleman,  much  less  a  duke,  by  crossing 
blades  with  such  a  ruffian." 

"By  God!"  cried  the  duke  furiously,  "I  will 
have  you  flogged  and  flung  into  the  mill  pond,  I 
will  clap  you  in  jail,  I  will— 

"You  will  do  nothing  of  the  sort,"  said  I,  com- 
posedly. "There  is  no  man  on  the  estate  who 
would  not  take  my  part  against  you,  especially 
when  I  repeat  what  you  have  said  about  Mistress 
Lucy.  They  love  her  and  they  loved  him. 
With  all  his  drink  and  extravagance  he  was  a 
good  master  and  you  have  been  a  bad  friend." 

"And  who  would  believe  you?"  queried  the 
duke,  whose  anger  was  at  a  frightful  height  in 
being  thus  braved  and  insulted.  In  his  agita- 
tion he  tore  at  his  neck  cloth  and  almost  frothed 
at  the  mouth  like  a  man  in  a  fit — I  doubt  he  had 

15 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

ever  been  so  spoken  to  before.  "  'T  would  be 
your  word  against  mine,  you  dog,  and — " 

"For  the  matter  of  that,  my  word  will  not  be 
uncorroborated,"  I  interrupted  swiftly. 

"What  d'  ye  mean,  curse  you?" 

"This  gentleman—" 

"By  gad,"  said  Lord  Luftdon,  decisively,  re- 
sponding to  my  appeal  more  bravely  than  I  had 
thought,  "you  are  right  to  appeal  to  me  and  you 
were  right  to  strike  Arcester.  'Fore  God,  I  'm 
sorry  for  the  girl  and  for  Sir  Geoffrey  and 
ashamed  for  my — my — friend." 

"Would  you  turn  against  me  in  this?"  asked 
the  duke,  surprised  at  this  amazing  defection. 

"I  certainly  would,"  answered  the  other  with 
dogged  courage. 

"God!"  whispered  his  grace  hotly,  fumbling 
at  the  empty  sheath,  "I  wish  I  had  my  sword. 
I  'd  run  the  two  of  you  through !" 

"There  is  Sir  Geoffrey's  sword,"  said  Lord 
Luftdon,  who  did  not  lack  courage,  it  seemed, 
clutching  his  own  blade  as  he  spoke  and  making 
as  if  to  draw  it. 

"No,"  said  I,  master  of  the  situation  as  I 
meant  to  be,  "there  shall  be  no  more  fighting 

16 


BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

over  the  dead  body  of  Sir  Geoffrey.  You  and 
Lord  Luftdon  can  settle  your  differences  else- 
where. I  am  glad  for  his  promise  to  tell  the 
truth  in  case  you  attempt  to  carry  out  your 
threat  and  I  am  just  as  grateful  as  if  it  had  been 
necessary." 

"On  second  thought,  there  will  be  no  further 
settlement,"  said  Luftdon,  regaining  his  cool- 
ness and  thrusting  back  into  its  scabbard  his  half- 
drawn  blade.  "His  grace  and  I  are  in  too  many 
things  to  make  a  permanent  difference  between 
us  possible." 

"I  thought  so,"  I  replied. 

"By  gad,"  laughed  Luftdon,  "I  like  your 
spirit,  lad.  Who  are  you,  what  are  you?" 

"The  late  gardener's  son." 

"Do  they  breed  such  as  you  down  here  in  these 
gardens?" 

"As  to  that,  I  know  not,  my  lord.  I  am  a 
sailor.  I  have  commanded  my  own  ship  and 
made  my  own  fortune.  I  come  back  here  be- 
tween cruises  because  I  am  devoted  to — " 

"The  woman!"  sneered  the  duke,  and  I  mar- 
veled at  the  temerity  of  the  man,  seeing  that  I 
could  have  choked  him  to  death  with  one  hand. 

17 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"Mention  her  name  again,"  I  cried,  "and  you 
will  lie  beside  your  victim  yonder!" 

"Right,"  said  Luftdon  approvingly. 

"I  come  back  here  because  I  am  fond  of  the 
old  place.  Lord  Luftdon,  it  is  my  home.  My 
people  have  served  the  Wilberforces  for  gen- 
erations. Their  forebears  and  mine  lie  together 
in  the  churchyard  around  the  hill  yonder. 
You  can't  understand  devotion  like  that,"  said  I, 
turning  to  the  duke,  "and  'tis  not  necessary 
that  you  should." 

"And  indeed  what  is  necessary  for  me,  pray?" 
he  sneered. 

"That  you  and  Lord  Luftdon  leave  the  place 
at  once." 

"Without  speech  with  my  lady?" 

"Without  speech  with  anyone.  There  is  a 
good  inn  at  the  village.  I  will  take  it  upon  my- 
self to  see  that  your  servants  pack  your  mails 
and  follow  you  there  at  once." 

"I  will  not  be  ordered  about  like  this,"  pro- 
tested the  duke  blusteringly. 

"Oh,  yes  you  will,"  said  Luftdon.  "The  ad- 
vice he  gives  is  good.  We  have  nothing  more 
to  do  here." 

18 


BAIT  THE  LIVING  OVER  THE  DEAD 

"No,"  said  I  bitterly,  "you  have  done  about 
all  that  you  can.  The  man  is  dead  but  the 
woman's  heart  will  not  be  broke  because  of  you. 
Now  go." 

"If  I  had  a  weapon,"  said  Arcester  slowly, 
shooting  at  me  a  baleful  and  envenomed  glance, 
"I  believe  I  would  even  send  one  of  his  faithful 
retainers  to  accompany  Sir  Geoffrey." 

I  never  saw  a  man  who  was  more  furiously 
angry,  baffled,  humiliated  than  he.  As  for  me, 
I  was  glad  of  his  rage.  If  I  had  known  any 
way  to  make  him  more  angry  and  humiliated  I 
confess  I  would  have  followed  it. 

"Don't  be  a  fool,  Arcester,"  said  the  other; 
"you  Ve  got  everything  you  wanted  in  this  game 
and  't  is  only  just  that  you  should  pay  a  little  for 
it.  What 's  your  name,  my  man?" 

"Never  mind  what  it  is." 

"Are  you  ashamed  of  it?" 

"Hampdon!" 

"Master  Hampdon,  you  may  not  be  a  gentle- 
man," said  Luftdon,  "but  by  gad,  you  are  a  man, 
and  here  's  my  hand  on  't." 

He  had  played  a  man's  part,  so  I  clasped  it. 

"You  will  be  embracing  him  next,  inviting 

19 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

him  to  your  club,  I  suppose,"  said  Arcester  in 
mocking  contempt. 

"No,"  said  Luftdon,  sarcastically,  "he  would 
not  be  congenial  company  for  you  and  me, 
neither  would  we  be  for  him.  He  seems  to  be 
an  honest  man.  Let 's  go." 

And  so  they  went  down  the  path,  leaving  me 
not  greatly  relishing  my  triumph,  for  now  I  had 
to  tell  Mistress  Lucy  all  that  had  happened.  I 
had  to  say  the  words  that  would  tell  of  the  loss 
in  one  fell  moment  of  her  father,  of  her  prop- 
erty, and  of  her  lover.  I  was  greatly  puzzled 
what  to  say  and  how  to  say  it,  for  Mistress  Lucy 
Wilberforce  was  no  easy  person  to  deal  with 
at  best. 


20 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  path  from  the  spinney  to  the  ancient 
castle  which  antedated  King  Henry 
VIII,  and  which  in  its  older  parts  goes  much 
farther  back  into  the  past,  led  through  the  park 
full  of  noble  oaks  and  beeches,  many  of  them 
older  even  than  the  ancient  and  honorable  fam- 
ily which  now,  alas,  bade  fair  to  lose  them  all 
forever.  As  I  trudged  over  it  with  lagging  foot- 
steps, misliking  my  duty  more  and  more  as  the 
necessity  for  discharging  it  drew  closer,  I  caught 
a  glint  of  rapidly  moving  color  on  the  long  drive- 
way that  led  from  the  lodge  to  the  steps  of  the 
hall.  The  scarlet  of  my  lady's  riding  coat  as 
she  galloped  up  the  tree  bordered  road,  it  was 
that  attracted  my  attention.  I  quickened  my 
pace  and  we  arrived  at  the  steps  leading  up  to 
the  terrace  at  the  same  instant.  She  was  alone, 
for  she  had  either  chosen  to  ride  unaccompanied, 
as  was  her  frequent  custom,  or  else,  being  the 

21 


better  mounted,  she  had  left  her  groom  far 
behind. 

I  stood  silent  before  her  with  that  curious 
dumbness  I  generally  experience — even  at  this 
day — when  first  entering  her  presence,  while  she 
drew  rein  sharply.  She  was  a  little  thing  com- 
pared to  me,  small  compared  even  to  the  average 
woman,  but  in  one  sense  she  was  the  biggest 
thing  I  had  ever  confronted.  No  burly  ship- 
master had  ever  impressed  me  so,  not  even  when 
I  was  a  raw  boy  on  my  first  cruise.  I  actually 
looked  upon  her  with  a  feeling  of — well,  shall  I 
say  awe? — mingled  with  other  emotions  which  I 
would  not  have  breathed  to  a  soul.  The  chance 
hit  by  the  Duke  of  Arcester  had  brought  the 
color  to  my  cheek  and  it  takes  something  definite 
and  apposite  to  bring  the  color  to  a  bronzed, 
weather-beaten  cheek  like  mine,  which  has  been 
thrust  into  the  face  of  wintry  seas  and  exposed 
to  tropical  suns  all  over  the  globe.  That  is  the 
way  I  thought  of  her.  I  was  almost  afraid  of 
her!  I,  who  feared  nothing  else  on  land  or  sea! 
What  she  thought  of  me  was  of  little  moment  to 
her. 

It  was  Mistress  Lucy's  regular  habit  to  take  a 

22 


HOW  I  BROKE  THE  NEWS 

morning  gallop  every  day.  It  was  that  usual 
custom  that  caused  her  to  look  so  fresh  and 
young  and  beautiful,  that  put  the  -color  in  her 
cheek  and  the  sparkle  in  her  eye.  Although  she 
had  left  her  father  playing  hard  late  the  night 
before  when  she  had  gone  to  bed,  there  had  been 
nothing  in  that  to  cause  her  to  intermit  her  prac- 
tice. Poor  girl,  she  had  left  her  father  doing 
that  more  nights  than  she  could  remember  in 
her  short  life,  and  I  suppose  she  had  become  used 
to  it,  to  a  certain  extent,  at  any  rate. 

She  nodded  carelessly,  yet  kindly  to  me.  It 
was  her  habit,  that  careless  kindness.  When  she 
was  a  little  girl  and  I  had  been  a  great  boy  we 
had  played  together  familiarly  enough — chil- 
dren caring  little  for  distinctions  of  rank,  I  have 
observed — but  that  habit  was  long  since  aban- 
doned. Then  she  looked  about  for  her  groom. 
The  steps  that  led  to  the  terrace  were  deserted. 
Sir  Geoffrey  of  late  had  grown  slack  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  affairs  on  account  of  his  troubles, 
therefore  no  attendant  was  at  hand.  Like  mas- 
ter, like  man !  I  suspected  that  the  servants  had 
kept  late  hours,  too.  Indeed  they  probably 
plundered  Sir  Geoffrey  in  every  way  and  he, 

23 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

seeing  that  all  was  gone  or  going,  perhaps  shut 
his  eyes  to  their  peculations.  They  might  as 
well  get  what  was  left  as  his  creditors.  Mis- 
tress Lucy  after  that  first  nod  stared  at  me 
frowning. 

"Master  Hampdon,"  she  said  at  last,  "since  no- 
body else  seems  to  be  about,  suppose  you  attempt 
the  task." 

She  loosed  her  little  foot  from  the  stirrup  and 
thrust  it  out  toward  me.  I  am  nothing  of  a 
horseman.  I  was  very  early  sent  off  to  sea  and 
I  have  a  sailor's  awkwardness  with  horses. 
Naturally  I  did  not  know  how  a  lady  should 
be  dismounted  from  her  horse.  I  had  never 
attempted  the  thing  and  I  did  not  recall  ever 
to  have  seen  it  done,  otherwise  I  might  have 
managed,  for  I  am  quick  enough  at  mechanical 
things;  but  her  desire  was  obvious  and  I  must 
accomplish  it  the  best  I  could.  I  stepped  over 
to  her,  disregarding  her  outthrust  foot,  for  all 
its  prettiness,  seized  her  about  the  waist  with 
both  hands,  lifted  her  bodily  from  the  saddle 
and  set  her  down  gently  on  the  gravel.  She 
looked  at  me  very  queerly  and  gave  a  faint 
shriek  when  her  weight  came  upon  my  arms. 

24 


HOW  I  BROKE  THE  NEWS 

Indeed,  I  have  no  doubt  that  I  held  her  tightly 
enough  through  the  air. 

"I  dare  say  there  is  not  a  man  among  my 
father's  friends  or  mine,  who  could  have  done 
that,  Master  Hampdon,"  said  she,  smiling  up  at 
me  a  little  and  looking  flushed  and  excited. 

"  'T  is  no  great  feat,"  said  I  stupidly  enough, 
"I  have  lifted  bigger — " 

"Women!"  flashed  out  Mistress  Lucy  slightly 
frowning. 

"Things,"  I  replied. 

"It  amazes  me,"  she  said.  "I  have  never  been 
dismounted  that  way  before.  However,  I  re- 
member you  always  were  stronger  than  most 
men,  even  as  a  boy.  There  seem  to  be  no  grooms 
about,  the  place  is  wretchedly  served.  Will  you 
take  my  horse  to  the  stables?"  she  asked  me. 

There  was  a  certain  flattery  to  me  in  that  re- 
quest. If  I  had  not  shown  her  how  strong  I 
was,  in  all  probability  she  would  have  thrown 
me  the  bridle  and  with  a  nod  toward  the  stables 
to  indicate  her  wishes  would  have  left  me  with- 
out a  word.  Now  it  was  different.  I  took  the 
bridle,  not  intending,  however,  to  take  the  horse 
around,  not  because  I  disdained  to  do  her  any 

25 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

service  but  because  I  had  other  duties  to  dis- 
charge more  important  than  the  care  of  horses. 

"Have  you  seen  my  father  this  morning?"  she 
asked  as  I  paused  before  her  and  then,  not  giving 
me  time  to  answer,  looked  up  at  the  sun.  "But 
of  course  not,"  she  continued,  a  little  bitterly, 
"he  probably  only  went  to  bed  an  hour  or  two 
since  and  't  is  not  his  habit  to  rise  so  early  as  you 
and  I." 

As  luck  would  have  it,  while  she  spoke  a 
sleepy  groom  chanced  to  come  round  the  house. 
I  flung  the  reins  to  him,  bade  him  take  the  horse 
away  and  turned  to  my  lady. 

"Madam,"  said  I,  my  voice  thickening  and 
choking,  "as  it  happens,  I  have  seen  your  noble 
father  this  morning." 

There  was  something  in  my  voice  and  man- 
ner, great  stupid  fool  that  I  was,  that  instantly 
apprised  her  that  something  was  wrong.  With 
one  swift  step  she  was  by  my  side. 

"Where?" 

"In  the  spinney." 

"When?" 

"But  just  now." 

"What  does  he  there  at  this  hour?" 

26 


HOW  I  BROKE  THE  NEWS 

"Nothing." 

"I  don't  understand." 

"Sir  Geoffrey — "  I  began  racking  my  brains, 
utterly  at  loss  what  to  say  next  and  how  to  con- 
vey the  awful  tidings. 

She  made  a  sudden  step  or  two  in  my  direc- 
tion, then  turned  toward  the  coppice,  her 
suspicions  fully  aroused. 

But  now  I  ventured  upon  a  familiarity,  that 
is,  I  turned  with  her  and  caught  her  by  the  arm 
before  she  could  take  a  step. 

"I  will  see  him  myself,"  she  began  resolutely. 

"Madam,"  said  I  swiftly,  "you  cannot." 

"Master  Hampdon,"  she  said,  "something 
dreadful  has  happened." 

I  nodded. 

This  was  breaking  it  gently  with  a  vengeance, 
but  what  could  I  do?  She  always  did  twist  me 
around  her  little  finger  and  I  was  always  more 
or  less  helpless  before  her.  I  admit  that.  I  am 
still,  for  that  matter,  although  she  will  not  have 
it  so. 

"What  is  it?  Is  my  father — what  is  he  doing 
in  the  spinney?  He  never  rises  at  this  hour." 

"Mistress  Wilberforce,"  I  said,  "you  come  of 

27 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 
a  brave  stock  and  the  time  for  your  courage  is 


now." 


"Is  my  father  dead?"  she  asked,  after  a  sud- 
den, awful  stillness. 

I  nodded  while  she  stared  at  me  like  one 
possessed. 

"Killed  in  a  duel?"  she  whispered. 

I  shook  my  head. 

"Would  to  God  I  could  think  so,"  I  replied. 

"You  mean  that  he  was — murdered?" 

"Mistress,"  said  I  bluntly,  seeing  no  other 
way,  "he  died  by  his  own  hand." 

"Oh,  my  God!"  she  cried,  clapping  her  hands 
to  her  face  and  reeling  back. 

I  caught  her  about  the  waist.  She  had  no 
knowledge  that  she  was  held  or  supported,  of 
course;  all  her  interest  and  attention  were  else- 
where. She  did  not  weep  or  give  way  other- 
wise. She  was  a  marvelous  woman  and  her 
self-mastery  and  control  amazed  me,  for  I  knew 
how  she  had  loved  her  father. 

"When?    Why?"  she  gasped  out. 

"I  was  early  awake  and  abroad,"  I  answered — 
and  I  did  not  tell  her  it  was  my  habit  to  see  her 
gallop  off  for  that  morning  ride,  for  even  a 

28 


HOW  I  BROKE  THE  NEWS 

glimpse  of  her  was  worth  much  to  me — "and  I 
heard  a  shot  in  the  spinney.  I  hurried  there  and 
found  Sir  Geoffrey — " 

"Dead?" 

"Stone  dead,  mistress,  with  a  bullet  in  his 
Heart." 

"Let  us  go  to  him." 

"No,"  said  I,  and  I  marveled  to  find  myself 
assuming  the  direction  as  if  I  had  been  on  the 
deck  of  my  own  ship,  "that  you  cannot.  It  is 
no  sight  for  your  eyes  now.  I  was  coming  to 
the  castle  to  tell  you  and  to  send  the  servants  to 
fetch — him.  Meanwhile,  do  you  go  into  the 
hall  and  summon  your  women  and — " 

"I  will  do  what  you  say,  Master  Hampdon," 
she  whispered,  very  small,  very  forlorn,  very 
despairing.  "My  father,  oh,  my  good,  kind 
father!" 

She  turned,  and  I  still  supporting  her,  we 
mounted  the  steps  of  the  terrace.  Suddenly  she 
stopped,  freed  herself,  and  faced  me. 

"Lord  Luftdon  and  the  Duke  of  Arcester," 
she  explained,  "they  are  staying  at  the  castle; 
they  must  be  notified." 

"Madam,"  said  I,  "they  already  know  it." 
29 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"And  why  then  have  they  left  the  duty  of  tell- 
ing me  to  you?  Where  are  they?  Summon 
them  at  once." 

"They  are  gone,"  I  blurted  out,  all  my  rage 
at  the  duke  reviving  on  the  instant. 

"Gone!" 

"Having  won  everything  from  Sir  Geoffrey 
they  have  left  him  alone  in  his  death,"  I  retorted 
bitterly. 

"Impossible  1" 

"I  ordered  them  off  the  place,"  I  said  bluntly. 

"You!"  she  flashed  out  imperiously.  "And 
who  gave  you  the  power  to  dismiss  my — my 
father's  friends?" 

"I  heard  what  they  said,  being  close  hid  my- 
self in  the  coppice." 

"And  what  said  they?" 

"It  concerned  you,  mistress." 

"The  Duke  of  Arcester,"  she  promptly  began, 
"is  my  betrothed  husband.  I  will  hear  no 
calumny  against  him." 

"Madam,"  I  said,  keenly  aware  that  I  had 
made  no  charges  yet  and  wondering  at  her 
thought,  "your  engagement  is  broken." 

"Broken!"  she  cried  in  amaze. 

30 


HOW  I  BROKE  THE  NEWS 

"The  duke  declared  himself  to  his  friend  to 
be  too  poor  to  marry  the  penniless  child  of  a — 
disgraced  man — his  words,  not  mine,  believe 
me." 

The  awful  death  of  her  beloved  father  had 
been  shock  enough  to  her,  but  with  this  insult 
added  I  thought  she  would  have  swooned  dead 
away.  She  turned  so  white  and  reeled  so  that  I 
caught  her  again.  I  even  shook  her  while  I 
cried  roughly, 

"You  must  not  give  way." 

"It  is  a  lie,  a  dastardly  lie!"  she  panted  out  at 
last. 

"It  is  God's  truth,"  said  I.  "He  repudiates 
you." 

"No  man  could  be  so  base,"  she  persisted,  "he 
swore  that  he  loved  me." 

"I  would  it  were  otherwise,  madam,  but  he  is 
gone,  leaving  that  message  for  you." 

"And  he  made  you  his  messenger?" 

"I  volunteered." 

"Why?    Why?" 

"Because  he  is  a  low  coward." 

"And  you  stood  by  and  let  him  insult  me,  your 
patron's  daughter,  your  mistress?" 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

Now  so  far  as  that  went,  I  had  got  mightly 
little  out  of  the  late  Sir  Geoffrey's  patronage,  but 
whatever  duty  I  could  compass  I  would  gladly 
pay  the  little  lady  who  stood  before  me. 

"Mistress,  you  misjudge  me.  He  had  taken 
Sir  Geoffrey's  sword,  saying  that  he  had  won  it 
with  everything  else.  I  took  it  from  him. 
When  he  said  those  words  about  you  I  struck 
him  across  the  face,  no  light  blow,  I  assure  you. 
When  he  grasped  his  own  sword  I  wrenched  it 
away  from  him,  broke  it,  and  cast  it  away.  You 
may  find  the  broken  pieces  in  the  spinney.  I 
told  him  that  you  were  meet  for  his  betters  and 
that  you  were  well  rid  of  him,  and  bade  him 
begone." 

"In  that,"  she  said  in  a  certain  strained  way, 
"you  acted  as  a  loyal  servitor  of  the  house  and 
I  thank  you." 

"I  am  to  give  orders  to  have  his  baggage  sent 
to  the  inn  at  once,"  said  I. 

"And  Lord  Luftdon?" 

"He  came  to  your  defense  as  if  he  were  still 
the  gentleman  he  had  once  been.  But  he  goes 
hence  with  his  friend.  His  baggage  will  also 
follow  him." 

32 


HOW  I  BROKE  THE  NEWS 

"I  will  attend  to  that  for  them  both,"  said 
Mistress  Lucy,  growing  strangely  and  firmly  re- 
solved again,  and  even  I  could  guess  the  tre- 
mendous constraint  she  put  upon  herself. 
"Enough  of  Arcester.  I  am  well  rid  of  him 
and  of  his  companion.  Summon  the  servants 
to  bring  my  father's  body  to  the  castle.  I  sup- 
pose the  crowner  will  have  to  be  notified." 

"Yes,"  said  I.    "I  will  see  to  that  myself." 

"Of  all  my  friends,"  said  she  piteously,  almost 
giving  way,  "you  seem  to  be  the  only  one  left 
me,  Master  Hampdon." 

"I  have  been  your  faithful  servant  always, 
Mistress  Lucy,"  I  answered  as  I  ushered  her 
into  the  hall. 


33 


CHAPTER  III 

IN  WHICH   I  DELIVER  A  LETTER 

1  DELIVERED  my  little  mistress  to  her 
woman  who  came  at  my  call,  and  then  I 
summoned  the  steward  and  butler  and  told  them 
what  had  happened.  In  a  moment  all  was  con- 
fusion. But  presently  they  brought  the  body  of 
Sir  Geoffrey  back  to  the  castle  which  was  no 
longer  his.  As  the  duke  had  said,  it  was  mort- 
gaged to  its  full  value.  The  unfortunate  bar- 
onet had  gambled  away  everything  in  his  pos- 
session, the  family  jewels,  the  heirlooms  of  his 
daughter,  and  even  the  property  that  had  been 
left  to  her  by  her  dead  mother,  of  which  he  was 
trustee.  Everything  that  he  could  get  his  hands 
on  had  been  sacrificed  to  his  passion  for  play. 

Following  the  inquest,  and  after  a  due  inter- 
val to  show  a  decent  respect  for  the  dead,  there 
was  a  great  funeral,  of  course,  during  which 
what  little  ready  money  there  was  available  was 
of  necessity  spent.  The  gentry  came  for  miles 

34 


I  DELIVER  A  LETTER 

around,  even  Luftdon  was  there  in  the  back- 
ground, although  Arcester  had  the  decency  to 
keep  away.  I  was  there,  too,  finding  my  place 
among  the  upper  servants  of  the  household. 
Although  I  was  in  no  sense  a  servant  of  the 
house,  being  a  free  and  independent  sailorman 
and  my  own  master,  still  I  found  no  place  else 
to  stand.  I  was  glad  that  I  had  taken  that  posi- 
tion for  I  happened  to  be  immediately  back  of 
Mistress  Lucy.  From  under  her  veil  she  shot 
a  forlorn,  grateful  look  at  me  as  she  came  in,  as 
if  she  felt  I  was  the  only  real  friend  she  had  in 
that  great  assemblage  of  the  gentry  of  the 
county  and  the  tenants  and  dependents  of  the 
estate. 

Sir  Geoffrey,  except  Mistress  Lucy,  was  the 
last  of  his  race.  The  brave,  fine  old  stock  had 
at  last  been  reduced  to  this  one  slender  slip  of 
a  girl.  Kith  or  kin,  save  of  the  most  distant, 
she  had  none.  Nor  did  she  enjoy  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance. She  had  never  been  formally  intro- 
duced to  society.  Sir  Geoffrey  had  loved  her 
and  had  been  kind  enough  to  her  in  his  careless, 
magnificent  way,  but  she  had  been  left  much 
alone  since  the  death  of  her  mother  some  years 

35 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

before,  and  she  had  grown  up  under  the  care 
of  a  succession  of  wandering  and  ill-paid  gov- 
ernesses and  tutors.  The  neighboring  gentry 
had  assembled  for  the  funeral  with  much  show 
of  sympathy  but  in  my  heart  I  knew  that 
Mistress  Lucy  felt  very  much  alone  and  I  rather 
gloried  in  the  position  which  made  me,  humble 
though  I  was,  her  friend.  Well,  she  could 
count  upon  me  to  the  death,  I  proudly  said  to 
myself.  She  would  find  I  was  always  devoted 
to  her  and  I  solemnly  consecrated  myself 
anew  to  her  service  in  her  loneliness  and  be- 
reavement. 

The  show  and  parade  were  over  soon  enough. 
The  parson's  final  words  of  committal  were  said. 
We  left  Sir  Geoffrey  in  his  place  in  the  church- 
yard and  went  back  to  the  hall,  after  which  the 
company  began  to  disperse.  I  had  nothing  to 
do  at  the  time.  No  one  paid  any  attention  to 
me.  I  held  myself  above  the  servants  and  the 
gentry  held  themselves  above  me.  I  wandered 
into  the  hall  and  stood  waiting.  No  one  spoke 
to  me  save  Lord  Luftdon,  who  expressed  a 
heart-felt  regret  that  he  had  had  anything  to  do 
with  the  final  plundering  of  the  unfortunate 

36 


I  DELIVER  A  LETTER 

baronet,  which  in  a  measure  had  brought  about 
this  sorry  ending  to  his  career. 

"You  seem  to  be  a  man  of  sense,  Master 
Hampdon,"  he  whispered,  drawing  me  apart, 
after  it  was  all  over,  "and  I  noticed  the  way  Mis- 
tress Wilberforce  looked  at  you  when  she  first 


came  in." 


"What  do  you  mean?"  I  asked  hotly,  not  lik- 
ing to  hear  her  name  on  his  lips,  and  especially 
resenting  what  I  thought  was  a  reflection  upon 
her. 

"Nothing  but  the  best,"  he  answered  equably. 
"I  have  still  unspent  some  of  the  proceeds  of  our 
last  bout  at  the  table  with  her  father  that  could 
be  conveyed  to  the  lady,  and — " 

"She  would  burn  her  hand  off  rather  than  ac- 
cept anything,"  said  I  promptly. 

"But,  man,  I  wish  to — "  he  persisted. 

"It  is  not  to  be  thought  of." 

"You  speak  with  authority?"  he  asked,  look- 
ing at  me  strangely. 

"I  have  known  her  from  a  child,"  said  I,  "and 
her  father  before  her.  It  is  not  in  the  breed  to 
take  favors,  and — " 

"But  this  is — er — restitution." 
37 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"Did  you  win  it  fairly?"  I  asked. 

"By  God,"  he  answered,  clapping  his  hand  to 
his  sword,  "if  another  had  asked  me  that  I  would 
have  had  him  out." 

"Your  answer?"  I  persisted,  undaunted  by  his 
fierceness. 

He  smiled,  his  sudden  heat  dying  out  appar- 
ently as  he  realized  how  foolish  it  was  to  quarrel 
with  me  and  discovered  the  meaning  of  my 
question. 

"Of  course  we  won  it  fairly.  Sir  Geoffrey 
was  the  most  reckless  and  even  the  most  foolish 
gambler  I  ever  played  with.  We  took  advan- 
tage of  that,  but  there  was  no  cheating,  Master 
Hampdon,  no,  on  my  honor,  as  I  am  a  gentle- 


man." 


"Under  the  circumstances  then,"  said  I, 
"there  is  nothing  further  to  be  said." 

"But  what  will  the  poor  girl  do?"  he 
demanded. 

I  shook  my  head.  I  did  not  know  how  to 
answer  that  question  for  I  did  not  know  what 
she  would  do.  Nevertheless  I  was  not  a  little 
touched  and  pleased  with  his  interest  and  desire. 
Surely  the  man  had  some  good  in  him  still. 

38 


I  DELIVER  A  LETTER 

Association  with  such  a  scoundrel  as  Arcester 
had  not  yet  wholly  ruined  him. 

"You  should  have  thought  of  this  before," 
said  I. 

"Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  he  admitted  rather 
woefully. 

"It  is  too  late  to  make  reparation  now, 
although  the  wish  does  you  honor,  my  lord." 

"Well,  Hampdon,  if  you  have  a  chance  to  tell 
her  what  I  wanted,"  he  said,  "please  do.  I 
should  do  it  myself,"  he  continued,  "only  since 
her  repudiation  by  that  blackguard  Arcester  she 
will  not  admit  me  to  speech.  By  gad — "  he 
looked  over  at  her  where  she  stood  in  the  door- 
way going  through  the  dreary  process  of  bidding 
farewell  to  the  guests  after  the  funeral  meal  that 
had  followed  the  interment,  "by  gad,  if  I  were 
a  bit  younger  and  not  so  confoundedly  in  debt 
I  would  marry  the  woman  myself." 

"She  is  meet  for  a  better  man,  my  lord,"  said 
I,  exactly  as  I  had  answered  the  duke. 

He  looked  at  me  curiously  for  a  moment  and 
then  laughed  loudly. 

"Doubtless,"  he  said,  "you  may  tell  her  that, 


too." 


39 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

With  that  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  walked 
away  and  I  saw  no  more  of  him.  I  stood  idle 
on  the  terrace  until  the  last  of  the  gentry  had 
gone.  As  before,  I  did  not  know  just  what  to  do 
or  just  where  to  go.  My  position  was  most 
anomalous.  I  wanted  to  be  of  service,  but  how 
to  offer  myself  without  intrusion,  I  could  not 
readily  discover.  It  was  my  lady  herself  who 
solved  the  problem. 

"Master  Hampdon,"  she  began  wearily,  "will 
you  come  into  the  house?  Master  Ficklin,  the 
lawyer,  is  here,  waiting  to  go  over  my  father's 
papers  with  me.  You  have  stood  by  me  man- 
fully, your  people  and  my  people  have  been — " 
she  stopped  a  moment,  "friends,"  she  added  with 
kindly  condescension,  "for  five  hundred  years. 
I  have  no  one  else  with  whom  to  counsel.  Come 
with  me." 

Sir  Geoffrey's  will,  as  Master  Ficklin  read  it, 
was  a  simple  affair.  It  left  everything  of  which 
he  died  possessed  to  his  daughter.  Unfor- 
tunately, he  died  possessed  of  nothing;  the  doc- 
ument was  mere  waste  paper.  Everything  was 
mortgaged,  every  family  portrait,  even.  Mis- 
tress Lucy  appeared  to  have  no  legal  right  to 

40 


I  DELIVER  A  LETTER 

anything  in  or  out  of  the  castle  apparently,  save 
the  clothes  she  wore. 

"Sir  Geoffrey,"  said  Master  Ficklin,  en- 
deavoring to  put  a  good  face  on  the  matter,  "was 
well  meaning — most  well  meaning.  Not  only 
did  he  play  high  and  long  at  the  gaming  table 
but  he  speculated  also,  for  he  was  always  trusting 
to  recoup  himself ;  in  which  event  doubtless  there 
would  have  been  a  handsome  patrimony  for  his 
daughter." 

"You  may  spare  me  any  encomiums  of  my 
father,  Master  Ficklin,"  said  Mistress  Lucy  very 
haughtily;  "I  knew  his  devotion  and  affection 
better  than  anyone  possibly  could." 

In  her  mind  there  was  no  double  meaning  to 
these  brave  words  she  uttered  so  quickly, 
although  I  listened  amazed.  To  rob  his  daugh- 
ter of  her  all  in  the  indulgence  of  a  wicked 
passion  for  gaming  and  speculation  was  no  great 
evidence  of  devotion  or  affection,  I  thought. 
However,  Master  Ficklin  was  only  putting  the 
best  face  upon  a  sorry  matter,  and  for  that  I 
honored  him,  for  all  my  mistress'  haughty  and 
imperious  manner. 

"The  point  is,  however,"  she  continued,  as 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

Master  Ficklin  bowed  deferentially  toward  her, 
"that  I  have  nothing." 

"Nothing  from  your  father,  madam,"  an- 
swered the  man  of  law. 

"But  my  mother's  estate?" 

"I  regret  to  say,"  said  Master  Ficklin,  "that 
most  of  it  has  been  converted  into  money  and 
— er — lost  by  your  father.  Strictly  speaking  he 
had  no — er — legal  right  to  dispose  of  your 
property  and  we  might  recover  by  suits  at  law 
from  those — " 

"I  gave  him  the  right,"  interrupted  Mistress 
Lucy  quickly. 

She  had  never  given  him  any  such  right,  of 
course,  but  she  was  jealous  for  the  honor  of  her 
father  and  the  family  and  I  could  only  admire 
her  action,  although  the  plain,  blunt  truth  ever 
appeals  to  me,  let  it  hurt  whom  it  may. 

"In  that  case,  there  is  nothing  to  be  said  or 
done,"  returned  the  old  attorney,  who  knew  the 
facts  as  well  as  I. 

"I  forget,"  she  went  on,  "just  how  much  of 
my  mother's  property  was  devoted  to — to  our 
needs,  by  my  father  and  myself." 

"There  is  left  in  my  hands,  madam,  a  matter 
42 


I  DELIVER  A  LETTER 

of  some  two  thousand  pounds  out  at  interest 
which  you,  being  now  of  full  age — " 

"I  was  eighteen  on  my  last  birthday." 

"Exactly,  so  that  the  two  thousand  is  at  your 
present  disposal." 

"In  what  shape  is  it?" 

"It  is  invested  in  consols." 

"Can  they  be  realized  upon?" 

"Instantly." 

"To  advantage?" 

"Most  certainly." 

"I  thank  you,  Master  Ficklin,  for  your  provi- 
dent care  of  my  little  fortune.  It  is  most  un- 
expected," she  faltered,  almost  overwhelmed  at 
the  sudden  realization  that  she  was  not  alto- 
gether a  pauper. 

"Believe  me,  Mistress  Lucy,  it  is  a  happiness 
to  do  anything  for  you,"  said  the  old  attorney, 
rising  and  gathering  up  his  papers,  and  bow- 
ing low  before  her.  "My  father,  and  his  father 
before  him  served  the  estates  of  the  Wilber- 
forces,  and  for  how  many  generations  back  I 
know  not.  You  may  command  me  in  every- 
thing. A  temporary  loan,  or — " 

"Thank  you,  Master  Ficklin,"  said  Mistress 

43 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

Lucy,  "you  touch  me  greatly,  but  I  need 
nothing  at  present.  My  father  made  me  an 
allowance  and  generally  paid  it.  It  was  a  gen- 
erous one;  living  alone  as  I  did  I  could  not  spend 
it  all.  I  have  a  few  hundred  pounds  in  my  own 
name  at  the  bank,  and  with  that  for  temporary 
use  and  my  mother's  legacy  I  shall  lack  nothing." 

"But  where  will  you  live,  Mistress  Lucy?" 

"It  matters  little,"  she  answered  listlessly. 

"My  sister  and  I,"  said  the  old  attorney,  "live 
alone  in  the  county  town.  The  house  is  large. 
If  you  would  accept  our  hospitality  until  your 
future  is  decided  we  should  be  vastly  honored." 

"Master  Ficklin — "  began  my  lady. 

"I  know  that  the  accommodations  are  poor," 
interrupted  the  attorney  hastily,  "and  we  are 
humble  folk,  but—" 

"I  accept  your  kindly  proffer  most  thank- 
fully," was  her  prompt  reply.  "I  have  been 
invited  to  various  homes  here  and  there  in  the 
county,  but  those  who  invited  me  have  sought 
to  convey  a  favor  to  me  by  their  courtesy  and  I 
prefer  to  go  to  you." 

"Good,"  said  Master  Ficklin  briskly.  "That 
is  settled  then.  No  one  has  either  a  legal  or 

44 


I  DELIVER  A  LETTER 

a  moral  claim  to  your  clothes  or  personal  be- 
longings or  such  jewelry  as  you  have  been  ac- 
customed to  wear  or  have  in  your  possession. 
You  may  pack  everything  of  that  sort  and  take 
away  with  you  any  little  keepsake.  In  fact,  I 
am  empowered  by  those  who  held  the  mortgage 
to  tell  you  that  the  pictures  of  your  father  or 
mother  or  anything  strictly  personal  they  waive 
their  claim  to." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Mistress  Lucy,  "I  shall  take 
but  small  advantage  of  their  generosity." 

"I  know  that,"  answered  Master  Ficklin, 
"and  now  I  will  return  to  the  town.  If  you  will 
be  ready  about  six  o'clock — "  it  was  then  about 
two — "I  will  return  and  fetch  you  to  our  home." 

"I  shall  be  ready.     Good-by." 

The  little  lawyer  bent  over  her  hand  and  left 
the  room.  I  had  sat  dumb  and  silent  during  the 
whole  interview,  although  I  had  listened  to 
everything  with  the  deepest  interest.  As  usual 
it  was  she  who  broke  the  silence  when  we  were 
alone  again. 

"Master  Hampdon,"  she  began,  "to  what  a 
sorry  pass  am  I  reduced!  Wjhat  shall  I  do 
now?" 

45 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"My  lady,"  said  I,  "the  sorriest  part  of  the 
pass  to  which  you  have  been  brought  is  that  you 
have  in  me  such  a  poor  counselor,  a  rough  sailor, 
but  one  who  would,  nevertheless,  give  his 
heart's  blood  to  promote  your  welfare,  or  do 
you  any  service." 

Now  as  I  said  that  I  laid  my  hand  on  the 
breast  of  my  coat  and  as  I  bent  awkwardly 
enough  toward  her — I  could  not  even  bow  as 
gracefully  as  the  little  attorney  just  departed — I 
felt  the  paper  which  I  had  taken  from  Sir 
Geoffrey's  hand  and  which  I  had  entirely  forgot 
in  the  hurry  and  confusion  of  the  days  that  had 
followed  his  death.  I  stood  covered  with  sur- 
prise and  shame  at  my  careless  forgetfulness,  and 
stared  at  her. 

"What  is  it?"  she  asked,  instantly  noting  my 
amaze. 

"I  am  a  fool,  madam,  a  blundering  fool," 
said  I,  drawing  forth  the  paper.  "Here  is  a  let- 
ter addressed  to  you  which  I  should  have  de- 
livered at  once,"  I  continued  extending  it 
toward  her. 

"To  me?     From  whom?"  she  asked. 

"Your  father." 

46 


I  DELIVER  A  LETTER 

"My  father!"  she  exclaimed. 

"Yes,  I  took  it  from  his  dead  hand  that  morn- 
ing and  thrust  it  into  the  breast  of  my  coat  and 
forgot  it  until  this  very  moment.  It  may  be 
vital  to  your  future,  my  carelessness  may  have 
lost  you — " 

"It  can  lose  me  nothing,"  said  the  girl  with 
unwonted  gentleness.  I  looked  for  her  to  rate 
me  sharply,  as  I  deserved,  for  my  forgetfulness, 
but  she  was  in  another  mood.  "I  can  read  it 
now  with  more  composure  and  understanding 
than  before,"  she  went  on. 

She  tore  open  the  envelope  as  she  spoke  and 
drew  forth  a  letter,  unfolded  it,  and  there 
dropped  from  it  a  little  piece  of  parchment 
which  I  instantly  picked  up  and  extended  to 
her.  But  she  was  so  engrossed  in  the  letter  that 
she  did  not  see  my  action  and  paid  no  attention 
to  my  outstretched  hand. 


47 


CHAPTER  IV 

SHOWS  HOW  TWO  PIECES  OF  PARCHMENT  WERE 
FITTED  TOGETHER 

UNDER  the  circumstances,  therefore,  and 
without  a  thought  that  my  action  might 
be  considered  a  possible  violation  of  confidence, 
I  looked  at  the  parchment  I  held  in  my  hand. 
It  was  evidently  the  half  of  a  larger  sheet  which 
had  been  torn  in  two.  The  right  half  was .  in 
my  possession.  A  glance  showed  me  that  it  was 
a  part  of  a  rudely-drawn  map,  apparently  of  an 
island,  although,  lacking  the  other  half,  of  that  I 
could  not  be  quite  certain.  Being  a  seafaring 
man,  I  was  familiar  with  maps  and  charts  of  all 
sorts  but  I  must  admit  that  I  had  never  seen  a 
map  that  looked  exactly  like  that  one.  It  was 
lettered  in  characters  which  were  very  old  and 
quaint,  and  some  figures  in  the  upper  right-hand 
corner  appeared  to  indicate  a  longitude.  The 
outlines  of  the  map  and  the  letters  and  figures 
were  all  very  dim  and  faded  and  a  longer  and 


TWO  PIECES  OF  PARCHMENT 

closer  inspection  than  I  could  give  it  then  would 
be  needed  to  show  just  what  they  were. 

My  lady's  letter  was  a  short  one,  for  she 
looked  up  from  it  presently,  her  eyes  filled  with 
tears,  the  first  I  had  seen  there,  and  for  that 
reason  I  was  glad  she  could  enjoy  this  relief. 
I  suppose  the  fact  that  she  was  so  alone  and  had 
no  one  else  induced  her  to  confide  in  me.  At 
any  rate,  she  extended  the  paper  to  me. 

"Read  it,"  she  said.  "  T  is  my  father's  last 
word  to  me." 

I  took  it  from  her  and  this  is  what  I  read : — 

My  Dear  Lucy: 

As  an  ancient  King  of  France  once  said,  everything  is  lost 
but  honor,  and  that  trembles  in  the  balance.  I  have  specu- 
lated, gambled,  tempted  fortune;  first  because  I  loved  it  and 
at  last  hoping  to  win  for  you.  But  everything  has  gone 
wrong.  You  are  penniless,  even  your  mother's  fortune,  of 
which  she  foolishly  made  me  trustee,  has  followed  my  own. 
Master  Ficklin  may  save  something  from  the  wreck.  I 
hope  so.  I  can  do  no  more  and  perhaps,  nay  certainly,  the 
best  thing  I  can  do  for  you  is  to  leave  you.  May  God  help 
you  since  I  cannot. 

Your  shamed  and  unhappy  father, 

GEOFFREY  WILBERFORCE. 

Post   Scriptum:     The  last  thing  that   I   possess  is   this 

49 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

scrap  of  parchment.  It  has  been  handed  down  from  father 
to  son  for  five  generations.  The  tradition  of  it  is  lost,  but 
there  has  always  been  attached  to  it  a  singular  value.  Per- 
haps some  day  the  missing  part  may  turn  up.  There  used 
to  be  a  little  image  with  it,  but  that  has  disappeared,  too. 
At  any  rate,  of  all  that  I  once  had,  this  alone  is  left. 
Should  you  marry  and  have  children  pass  it  to  them,  a  fool- 
ish request,  but  I  am  moved  to  make  it  as  my  father  made 
it  to  me. 

G.  W. 

I  read  it  slowly.  It  was  not  a  brave  man's 
letter.  I  liked  Sir  Geoffrey  less  then  than  ever 
before.  Some  of  the  ancient  awe  and  reverence 
I  felt  for  the  family  went  out  of  my  heart  then. 
Well,  the  man  was  dead,  and  there  was  no  use 
dwelling  on  that  any  longer.  I  handed  the 
letter  back  to  Mistress  Lucy  without  comment. 
As  she  took  it  I  extended  the  parchment  in  the 
other  hand. 

"Here,"  said  I,  "is  the  enclosure  to  which 
your  father  refers.  It  seems  to  be  a  chart  or 
map  but  in  its  torn  condition  it  is  of  but  little 
use." 

She  took  it  listlessly,  but  as  her  glance  fell 
upon  it  her  face  brightened. 

"Why!"  she  exclaimed,  brushing  aside  her 

50 


TWO  PIECES  OF  PARCHMENT 

tears,  "I,  myself,  have  the  other  half  and  also  the 
image." 

I  stared  at  her  stupidly,  not  in  the  least  taking 
in  her  meaning  and  she  evidently  resented  my 
dullness. 

"I  have  the  other  half  of  the  parchment,  the 
missing  portion  of  the  map,  and  the  little  idol, 
I  tell  you,"  she  urged. 

"You  don't  mean  to  say — "  I  began  in  amaze- 
ment. 

"Yes,"  she  interrupted,  "they  came  to  me  from 
my  mother.  When  she  died  five  years  ago  she 
gave  them  to  me  with  much  the  same  account 
as  my  father  writes.  I  have  never  shown  them 
to  anyone,  never  mentioned  the  circumstances, 


even." 


"Why  not?"  I  asked. 

"I  scarcely  know.  The  torn  map  was  value- 
less. I  attached  no  special  importance  to  the 
hideous  little  image.  But  now,  now — " 

"It  is  a  miracle,"  I  said,  "that  the  two  pieces 
should  have  come  together  in  your  hands." 

"I  don't  yet  understand  what  it  all  means," 
she  said,  "but — " 

"Meanwhile,"   said   I,   "may  I   respectfully 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

suggest  that  you  get  the  other  piece  and  the 
idol  or  image  and  let  me  look  at  them?  I  know 
something  about  such  matters." 

"You!"  she  flashed  out  in  one  of  those  sudden 
changes  of  mood,  sometimes  so  delightful  and 
sometimes  the  reverse. 

"I  am  a  seafaring  man,  as  you  know,  Mis- 
tress," said  I  humbly,  "and  I  have  seen  many 
strange  gods  in  different  parts  of  the  world. 
Also  I  am  accustomed  to  study  maps  and  charts. 
Perhaps  this  may  contain  information  vital  to 
your  fortunes  which  I  can  decipher  more  easily 
than  another." 

She  nodded  and  went  rapidly  out  of  the  room. 
In  a  few  moments  she  came  back  with  another 
piece  of  parchment  and  a  little  stone  figure, 
which  I  glanced  at  and  laid  aside  for  the  mo- 
ment, fixing  my  attention  on  the  parchments. 
I  placed  them  side  by  side  and  the  torn  and 
jagged  edges  fitted  into  each  other  perfectly.  I 
had  laid  them  on  a  table  and  bent  over  them  in 
great  excitement,  excitement  on  my  part  caused 
by  her  proximity  rather  than  by  the  faded, 
yellow  sheepskin. 

"It  is  an  island!"  she  exclaimed. 
52 


TWO  PIECES  OF  PARCHMENT 

"Yes,"  said  I. 

"Where  is  it?"  she  asked. 

I  pointed  with  my  huge  index  finger  to  the 
figures  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner  and  the 
upper  right-hand  corner  marked  respectively 
latitude  and  longitude. 

"That  will  tell  us  exactly." 

"And  you  can  find  it?" 

"If  it  be  there,  where  the  figures  say  it  is,  I 
can,  as  easily  as  I  can  find  the  park  gate  yon- 
der." 

She  looked  at  me  with  a  certain  amount  of 
awe.  Evidently  the  nice  possibilities  of  the  art 
of  navigation  had  not  been  brought  to  her  at- 
tention. I  went  up  several  degrees  in  her  re- 
spect it  seemed  because  I  knew  something  she 
did  not.  Well,  she  was  to  find  out  that  I  knew 
many  things  that  she  did  not — but  I  must  not 
boast. 

"Why,  that  is  wonderful!"  she  exclaimed. 

"Not  at  all.  It  is  done  by  seamen  every 
day." 

"Have  you  ever  been  there?" 

"No,"  said  I,  "I  have  crossed  the  South  Seas 
several  times  but  I  have  never  chanced  upon  that 

53 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

island  or  in  fact  sailed  anywhere  near  that  lati- 
tude or  longitude." 

"But  you  know  where  it  is?" 

"Exactly,  and  if  I  had  my  great  chart  of  the 
South  Seas  here,  I  could  put  my  finger  upon  it 
and  show  it  to  you." 

"What,"  she  asked,  pointing  with  her  own 
dainty  finger  in  her  turn,  "is  that  ring  around 
the  island?" 

"That  will  be  a  coral  reef,  I  take  it.  They 
usually  are  broken  at  some  point  so  that  ships 
can  sail  within,  but  here  is  a  complete  circle  en- 
closing the  island.  There  seems  to  be  no  en- 
trance anywhere.  'T  is  unusual  and  most 
strange." 

"Perhaps  the  man  that  drew  the  map  made  a 
mistake." 

"I  think  not.  The  map  has  been  made  by  a 
seafaring  man,  that  is  plain." 

"I  see,  and  the  island  itself  is  a  circle,"  she 
said,  bending  to  inspect  it  more  closely, 

"Yes,"  said  I,  "and  it  is  like  no  island  that  I 
have  ever  seen,  for  here  be  two  great  rings  like 
a  gigantic  wall  and  a  hill  or  something  of  the 
sort  in  the  middle."  I  bent  lower  over  it  in 

54 


my  turn.  My  eyes  are  unusually  keen  and  I 
saw  words  written  on  the  outside  of  the  island 
proper  and  between  it  and  the  coral  reef, 
"See,"  said  I,  "the  words  'ye  stairesM" 

"Stairs!"  exclaimed  the  girl  in  amazement, 
"did  you  ever  see  stairs  on  such  an  island?" 

"No,  I  have  not.  But  these  may  only  be  some 
natural  means  of  ascent." 

"It  is  most  strange  and  meaningless,"  she  said. 

"Not  so,  my  lady,"  I  said,  "these  torn  halves  of 
the  map  have  not  been  preserved  through  gen- 
erations and  handed  down  from  father  to  son, 
or  daughter,  so  carefully  unless  there  be  some 
meaning  attached  to  them.  What  do  you  know 
about  it?  Forgive  the  presumption  of  my  in- 
quiry, but  in  this  matter  perhaps  I  can  be  of 
more  service  to  you  than  I  could  be  in.  anything 
else." 

"You  have  been  a  faithful,  devoted  servitor, 
Master  Hampdon,"  she  said,  "and  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  telling  you  all  I  know.  My  mother 
and  father  were  distantly  related,  that  is  they 
were  descendants  in  the  fifth  generation  from 
two  brothers." 

"Exactly,"  said  I,  "your  father's  note  says  this 

55 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

piece  of  parchment  has  been  in  possession  of  his 
family  for  five  generations  and  evidently  the 
other  was  in  the  possesion  of  your  mother's  peo- 
ple for  the  same  time." 

"Why,  that  must  be  so,"  said  the  girl  amazed, 
"indeed,  I  think  you  are  very  acute  to  have 
reasoned  it  out." 

"I  have  but  anticipated  your  own  reflections,  I 
am  sure,"  said  I.  "Who  was  the  father  of  these 
two  brothers?" 

She  thought  a  moment. 

"Sir  Philip  Wilberforce  was  his  name.     He 


was — " 


"A  sailor!"  I  exclaimed  on  a  venture. 

"You  have  guessed  rightly ;  he  voyaged  in  dis- 
tant seas  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time.  It  is  re- 
ported that  he  was  one  of  the  first  who  went 
around  the  world  after  Sir  Francis  Drake 
showed  all  Englishmen  the  way." 

"Exactly,"  I  cried,  "we  are  on  the  right  track 
now.  What  further?" 

"It  is  in  my  mind,"  she  said,  "that  Geoffrey 
and  Oliver,  his  sons,  quarreled  over  his  property 
after  his  death,  and — " 

"There  you  have  it.    They  divided  his  for- 

56 


TWO  PIECES  OF  PARCHMENT 

tune  and  tore  the  parchment  apart,  it  being 
thought  valuable  for  some  reason,  and  each  kept 
half,"  I  returned  confidently. 

"That  is  the  tradition  as  regards  the  fortune, 
and  it  may  account  for  the  parchment,"  she  ad- 
mitted in  admiration  of  my  conclusion,  though 
indeed  it  was  an  easy  one  to  draw. 

"What  next,  madam?" 

"The  families  drifted  apart  and  gradually 
died  out  until  Sir  Geoffrey  and  my  mother  were 
alone  left  of  their  respective  lines,  and  without 
knowing  the  relationship  at  the  time  they  met 
and  married,  and  I — "  she  faltered  and  put  her 
hand  over  her  face — "am  the  only  one  left  of 
the  family,  of  either  branch." 

"Now  here,"  said  I  devoutly,  for  I  fully  be- 
lieved what  I  said,  "are  the  workings  of  Divine 
Providence.  The  parchment  came  from  old 
Sir  Philip,  it  was  torn  apart  by  his  sons,  and  the 
pieces  came  not  together  until  in  you  the  ancient 
lines  were  united." 

"Yes,  but  what  does  it  mean?"  she  asked  turn- 
ing to  the  table  again. 

As  she  did  so  the  sleeves  of  her  dress  caught 
the  parchment  and  separated  the  two  pieces. 

57 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

One  of  them  fell  to  the  floor  face  downward. 
I  picked  it  up. 

"Why,  there  is  writing  on  it!"  I  exclaimed. 

"So  there  is.  I  had  forgotten  that.  It  was 
unintelligible  to  me  and,  in  fact,  I  put  it  in  my 
jewel  case  and  forgot  about  it" 

"And  the  image?" 

"It  was  so  hideous  and  so  repellent  I  thrust 
it  into  a  drawer  of  my  cabinet  and  forgot  it 


too." 


"Let's  put  the  two  pieces  together  and  take 
them  to  the  light  and  see  if  we  cannot  decipher 
it,"  said  I.  "Mistress  Wilberforce,"  I  con- 
tinued, "I  have  a  sailor's  premonition  that  we 
are  on  the  track  of  something  that  may  greatly 
better  your  fortunes." 

There  was  no  table  near  the  window  but  I 
spread  the  two  pieces  of  parchment  on  my  two 
broad  hands,  from  which  you  can  get  an  idea 
of  how  large  they  were.  The  writing  was  dim 
and  faded  with  age.  It  seemed  to  have  been 
done  with  some  sharp  pointed  instrument  which 
cut  into  the  sheepskin,  and  where  the  ink  which 
had  been  used  had  faded,  the  scratches  still  re- 
mained. This  that  follows  is  what  I  made  out. 

58 


TWO  PIECES  OF  PARCHMENT 

I  have  reproduced  exactly  the  old  spelling  and 
capitalization,  and  for  your  further  illumina- 
tion I  have  copied  as  best  I  could  the  map,  or 
chart,  upon  the  other  side,  so  you  can  easily  com- 
prehend the  story  of  our  adventures  upon  it  as 
I  am  now  endeavoring  to  relate  them.  Of 
course  my  memory  may  be  at  fault  in  some  par- 
ticulars, but  if  so  they  are  unimportant.  As  for 
the  image,  I  can  never  forget  its  grinning, 
malign,  evil  hideousness,  no,  not  to  my  dying 
day. 

In  ye  yeare  of  cure  Lorde  1595,  I,  Philip  Wilberforce, 
Bt.,  of  ye  countie  of  Devon,  being  ye  captaine  of  ye  good 
shippe  Scourge  of  Malice,  didde  take  ye  grate  Spanish  Gal- 
leon Nuestra  Senora  de  la  Conception  after  a  bloudie  en- 
countre,  wherein  mine  own  shippe  was  sunke.  Ye  lading 
of  ye  galleon  was  worthe  muche  monaie,  milliones  of  pounds 
esterling,  I  take  yt.  Withe  manie  jewelles  and  stones  of 
price,  pieces  of  eight  and  bullione,  together  with  silkes  and 
spicerie.  Being  blowne  to  ye  southe  and  weste  manie  days 
in  a  grate  tempeste,  ye  galleon  was  caste  awaye  on  Ye 
Islande  of  ye  Staires.  Wee  landed  ye  tresor  and  hidde  yt 
in  ye  walle.  Alle  my  menne  being  in  ye  ende  dead  ye  na- 
tives came  over  ye  seas  from  ye  other  Islandes  in  their  grate 
cannos  and  tooke  me,  being  like  a  madde  manne.  Godde  merci- 
fullie  preserving  my  life,  I  escaped  frome  themm  and  at  last 
am  comme  safe  intoe  mine  own  sweet  lande  of  Englande  once 

59 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

more.  Toe  finde  ye  mouthe  of  ye  tresor  cave,  take  a  bearing 
alonge  ye  southe  of  ye  three  Goddes  on  ye  Altar  of  Skulles 
on  ye  middel  hille  of  ye  islande.  Where  ye  line  strykes  ye 
bigge  knicke  in  ye  walle  withe  ye  talle  palmme  tree  bee  three 
hoales.  Climbe  ye  stones.  Enter  ye  centre  one.  Yt.  is 
there.  Lette  him  that  wille  seek  and  finde.  Here  bee  two 
of  ye  littel  goddes  I  picked  uppe  and  fetched  awaye.  Ye  oth- 
ers are  lyke  onlie  muche  larger. 


I  spelt  out  the  letters  slowly,  deciphering  the 
quaint,  faint  writing  with  difficulty.  Mistress 
Lucy  drew  near  to  me,  bending  over  the  parch- 
ment closely,  following  my  efforts,  indeed 
anticipating  them  with  her  quicker  eye.  Her 

60 


TWO  PIECES  OF  PARCHMENT 

presence  was  a  distraction  to  me,  yet  I  was  so 
glad  to  have  her  near  me  that  I  wished  the 
parchment  letter  as  long  as  this  story  I  am  writ- 
ing bids  fair  to  be.  Well,  we  finished  it  at  last. 

Then  I  turned  to  the  table  in  the  center  of 
the  room  where  I  had  left  the  image.  I  stooped 
over  it,  picked  it  up  and  brought  it  to  the  light. 
It  was  a  head,  with  the  neck  and  the  top  of 
the  shoulders  showing,  mounted  on  a  pedestal 
roughly  cut  in  imitation  masonry.  It  was 
made  of  some  hard  pinkish  stone  like  granite. 
There  was  no  skill  or  nicety  in  its  carving; 
it  was  rough  and  rude,  inexpressibly  so,  and  the 
marks  of  the  chisel,  or  whatever  the  tool  with 
which  it  had  been  carved,  were  quite  apparent 
here  and  there ;  and  yet  years  of  exposure  to  wind 
and  weather  had  smoothed  it  off  in  part.  The 
evil  face  was  long  and  the  dog  teeth  fell  over 
the  protruding  lip  in  a  peculiarly  brutal  and 
ferocious  way.  There  was  sort  of  a  crown  on 
the  head,  the  eyes  were  sightless,  and  the  whole 
expression  was  revolting  and  beastly. 

What  kind  of  people  made  and  what  kind  of 
people  worshiped  such  a  god  I  wondered. 
I  was  not  surprised  that  my  little  mistress  had 

61 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

hid  it  away,  nor  that  the  one  that  came  down 
through  Sir  Geoffrey's  line  had  been  lost.  If 
I  had  possessed  it,  I  would  have  destroyed  it 
long  since.  It  fairly  radiated  evil,  and  the  con- 
trast between  my  lady's  face,  all  sweetness, 
purity,  and  light  and  this  hideous  image  was  the 
more  marked.  She  has  since  confessed  that  she 
drew  the  same  contrast  between  it  and  what  she 
was  pleased  to  call  my  brave  and  honest  coun- 
tenance! But  of  that  more  anon.  We  stared 
from  the  image  to  the  parchment  and  then 
looked  wonderingly  at  each  other. 

There  was  much  in  the  letter,  of  course,  that 
we  could  not  possibly  understand.  We  could 
only  comprehend  it  fully  if  we  were  lucky 
enough  to  stand  beneath  "ye  Stone  Goddes," 
of  which  I  held  a  sample  in  my  hand,  on  the 
island  itself.  Still  the  general  purport  was 
sufficiently  clear.  Sir  Philip  Wilberforce  had 
evidently  concealed  a  very  considerable  treasure 
there.  If  we  could  find  it  our  fortunes  would 
be  made,  or  hers  rather,  for  I  swear  I  never 
thought  of  myself  at  all. 

"Think  you,"  my  little  mistress  began  at  last, 
her  pale  face  flushing  for  the  first  time,  her 

62 


TWO  PIECES  OF  PARCHMENT 

bosom  heaving  quickly,  "that  the  treasure  may 
still  be  there  watched  over  by  those  awful  gods?" 

She  glanced  at  the  image  I  still  held  in  my 
hand  as  she  spoke. 

"Who  can  tell?"  I  answered.  "I  am  prob- 
ably as  familiar  with  the  South  Seas  and  their 
islands  as  any  sailor;  which  is  not  saying  a  very 
great  deal,  for  there  are  thousands  of  islands  in 
those  unknown  seas  which  have  never  been  vis- 
ited by  man,  by  white  men,  that  is,  or  by  any 
race  which  preserves  records.  I  have  never 
heard  even  a  rumor  of  the  Island  of  the  Stairs, 
yet  it  would  seem  to  be  sufficiently  different 
from  all  other  islands  to  have  been  published 
abroad  if  it  had  been  discovered.  Its  latitude 
and  longitude  place  it  in  unfrequented  seas 
among  others  peopled  by  races  of  savage  can- 
nibals. I  think  it  not  at  all  unlikely  that  it 
may  have  remained  unvisited  by  any  who  would 
appreciate  the  value  of  the  treasure  since  Sir 
Philip's  day." 

"But  would  such  treasure  last  so  long?" 

"Stored  in  a  cave,  gold  and  silver  and  jewels 
would  last  forever.  Everything  else  would 
have  rotted  away  probably." 

63 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"It  says  to  the  value  of  millions  of  pounds, 
you  notice,"  she  repeated  thoughtfully,  pointing 
to  the  parchment  again. 

"Aye,"  I  answered,  "there  is  nothing  unusual 
or  unbelievable  in  that;  the  cargoes  of  those 
old  Spanish  galleons  ran  up  into  the  millions 
often,  I  have  read." 

"How  could  we  get  there?"  she  asked. 

"If  you  had  a  ship,"  said  I,  "well  commanded 
and  found  and  manned  you  could  reach  the  spot 
without  difficulty." 

"How  much  would  it  cost?" 

Well,  I  quickly  and  roughly  estimated  in  my 
mind  the  necessary  outlay.  Such  a  vessel  as 
she  would  require  might  be  bought  for  perhaps 
twenty-five  hundred  or  three  thousand  pounds; 
provisioning,  outfitting,  together  with  the  pay  of 
the  officers  and  the  crew,  would  require  perhaps 
from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  five 
hundred  pounds  more,  or  a  total  of  between 
five  and  six  thousand  pounds.  And  she  had  but 
twol 

I  was  about  to  tell  her  the  prohibitive  truth 
when  the  solution  of  the  problem  suddenly  came 
to  me.  In  one  way  or  another  I  had  been  a 


TWO  PIECES  OF  PARCHMENT 

fortunate  voyager  and  I  had  saved  up  or  earned 
by  trading  and  one  or  two  adventures  in  which 
I  had  taken  part,  something  over  four  thousand 
pounds,  which  was  safely  lodged  to  my  credit 
in  a  London  bank.  Her  fortune  was  two  thou- 
sand pounds.  Alone  she  could  do  nothing,  to- 
gether we  could  accomplish  it.  I  had  no  right 
to  put  the  suggestion  in  her  mind,  but  I  did  it 

"I  should  think,"  I  said  slowly,  "that  two 
thousand  pounds  would  be  ample  to  cover 
everything." 

"Ah,"  she  said  triumphantly,  "exactly  the  sum 
that  Master  Ficklin  said  was  left  of  my  mother's 
fortune." 

"Yes,"  said  I,  and  then  I  added  in  duty  bound, 
"but  you  surely  would  not  be  so  foolish,  Mistress 
Wilberforce,  as  to  risk  your  all  in  this  wild 
goose  chase?" 

"If  you  were  in  my  position,  Master  Hamp- 
don,  what  would  you  do?"  she  asked  pointedly. 

"I  am  a  man,"  I  answered,  "accustomed  to 
shift  for  myself.  I  might  take  a  risk  which  I 
would  not  advise  you  to  essay." 

"I  must  shift  for  myself,  too/'  she  said,  her 
eyes  sparkling.  The  Goddess  Fortune  which 

65 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

had  ruined  her  father  was  evidently  jogging  her 
elbow.  "Indeed,  I  shall  take  the  chance,"  she 
persisted.  "I  am  resolved  upon  it." 

"But  you  could  easily  live  on  two  thousand 
pounds  for  a  long  while,"  I  urged,  against  my 
wish,  for  I  was  keen  to  go  treasure  hunting  with 
her  for  a  shipmate. 

"Not  such  life  as  I  crave.  If  I  cannot  have 
enough  for  my  desires  I  would  be  no  worse  off 
had  I  nothing." 

"But  it  is  a  long  chance,"  I  persisted,  "upon 
which  to  risk  your  all." 

"Master  Hampdon,"  she  said  solemnly,  "the 
fact  of  the  separation  of  those  two  pieces  of 
parchment  for  a  century  and  a  half,  and  the 
fact  that  they  come  together  in  me,  one  half 
received  from  each  of  the  dead  who  in  neither 
case  knew  of  the  existence  of  the  other  half,  the 
fact  that  I  am  Sir  Philip  Wilberforce's  last 
descendant  through  both  the  original  heirs — see 
you  not  something  providential  in  all  this?" 

"A  strange  coincidence,"  I  admitted. 

"More  than  that,"  she  protested. 

Well,  I  was  arguing  against  my  wishes  and 
from  a  sense  of  duty,  so  I  at  last  gave  way. 

66 


After  all,  the  treasure  might  be  there.  If  so, 
it  was  hers  and  it  would  be  a  shame  not  to 
get  it.  The  pulse  of  adventure  leaped  in  my 
veins. 

"So  be  it,"  I  said. 

"Will  you  help  me  to  make  my  arrange- 
ments, you  are  accustomed  to  the  sea,  and— 

"I  will  do  more  than  that,"  said  I,  "with  your 
gracious  permission  I  will  go  with  you." 

"To  the  island?" 

"To  the  end  of  the  world,"  I  replied,  whereat 
she  stared  at  me  a  moment,  then  looked  away. 

She  extended  her  hand  to  me  and  I  tried  to 
kiss  it  like  a  gentleman.  I  made,  no  doubt,  a 
blundering  effort,  but  at  least  it  was  that  of  an 
honest  man. 

"I  must  go  and  get  ready  to  go  to  Master  Fick- 
lin's  in  the  town,"  she  said  softly.  "You  know 
the  house." 

I  nodded. 

"Come  to  me  there  tomorrow  and  we  will 
talk  further  about  the  project." 

"Can  I  be  of  any  other  service?" 

"Not  now,"  she  answered,  "you  have  been  of 
great  service  already.  I  shall  not  forget  it." 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

And  so  I  turned  and  walked  out  of  the  hall, 
leaving  her  standing  there  for  the  last  time,  at 
least  so  we  thought,  the  last  little  descendant  of 
a  brave  race.  But  you  never  can  tell  what  the 
future  will  bring  forth.  I  little  dreamed  that 
she  and  I  were  to  stand  there  again  some  day 
under  quite  different  circumstances.  It  is  a 
good  thing  for  me  that  I  did  not  dream  that 
dream  then.  It  would  have  turned  my  head  if 
I  had. 


68 


CHAPTER  V 

WHEREIN  THE  DUKE  IS  MARKED  IN  FAREWELL 

WHEN  we  broached  the  subject  of  our 
treasure  hunting  expedition  to  Master 
Ficklin  the  next  day  at  his  house,  he  would  not 
hear  of  it  He  examined  the  parchment  with 
interest,  but  pooh-poohed  the  tale  because, 
forsooth,  it  had  no  legal  standing  and  was 
couched  in  the  language  of  the  sea  rather  than 
in  the  dry  verbiage  of  the  law.  He  pointed  out 
that  he  had  only  succeeded  in  saving  this  last 
two  thousand  pounds  of  my  lady's  fortune  be- 
cause he  had  skillfully  concealed  its  existence 
from  Sir  Geoffrey,  foreseeing  that  all  that  he 
could  come  at  would  be  recklessly  flung  away  in 
the  baronet's  mad  battle  with  fortune.  He  felt, 
he  admitted  to  us,  some  compunctions  of  con- 
science about  having  hidden  this  little  remainder 
from  his  friend  and  patron,  and  then  he  pleaded 
artfully  that  as  he  had  gone  against  his  sense  of 
right  for  the  sake  of  preserving  this  money,  his 

69 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

wishes  as  to  the  spending  of  it  ought  to  be  re- 
spected, especially  when  they  concerned  so  inti- 
mately the  welfare  of  my  lady;  for,  he  asked 
pertinently,  what  would  happen  to  her  when  all 
was  gone  and  she  had  found  no  treasure,  the  very 
existence  of  which  he  affected  to  disbelieve? 

A  very  hard-headed,  practical  person  was 
Master  Ficklin.  He  was  not  cut  out  for  an 
adventurer,  that  was  patent.  Still  his  statements 
and  propositions  were  entitled  to  the  highest 
consideration.  His  arguments,  indeed,  ap- 
pealed to  my  better  judgment  and  I  seconded 
them  to  the  best  of  my  ability  in  spite  of  my  own 
desires.  I  was  born  with  a  roving  spirit,  and 
in  my  own  blood  ran  something  of  the  gambling 
strain,  and  the  longer  I  dwelt  upon  possible 
treasure  the  more  alluring  grew  the  prospect  of 
searching  for  it,  and  the  more  certain  I  became 
that  it  was  there.  It  is  so  easy  to  persuade  our- 
selves of  what  we  wish. 

Besides,  even  if  there  were  no  treasure,  I  lux- 
uriated in  spirit  at  the  thought  of  the  long 
months'  intimate  companionship  at  sea  with  my 
Little  Mistress.  It  is  true  she  already  honored 
me  with  her  friendship,  but  in  no  other  way 

70 


DUKE  IS  MARKED  IN  FAREWELL 

could  I  hope  to  enjoy  much  of  her  society  in  the 
future.  She  was  too  young  and  too  beautiful 
for  obscurity.  Sooner  or  later  true  men  would 
love  her,  the  gay  world  would  seek  her  out,  she 
would  enter  upon  her  proper  station  again,  and 
then  where  would  I  be?  Selfish!  Aye,  but  I 
am  frankly  telling  the  truth  in  these  rambling 
recollections,  even  to  my  own  discredit,  though 
my  lady  will  not  have  it  so. 

But  I  had  stern  ideas  of  duty,  too,  and  Master 
Ficklin's  good  sense  ever  appealed  to  me.  Yet 
when  did  mere  good  sense  serve  to  persuade  a 
woman  against  her  wish?  My  lady  would  fain 
challenge  fortune  on  her  own  account.  She  was 
of  age  and  what  she  had  left  was  absolutely  in 
her  control,  but  had  she  been  but  sixteen  I  make 
no  doubt  she  would  have  had  her  way.  She  has 
ever  had  that  way  and  ever  will  have  it,  so  far 
as  I  am  concerned.  Worthy  Master  Ficklin  has 
gone  to  his  well-earned  rest  these  many  years 
as  I  write,  but  I  am  quite  warranted,  I  am  sure, 
in  saying  the  same  thing  for  him. 

Well,  the  end  of  it  was  she  made  over  her  two 
thousand  pounds  to  me  without  requiring  me  to 
give  any  bond,  which  Master  Ficklin  would  fain 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

have  insisted  upon.  This  would  have  been  em- 
barrassing indeed  for  me  for  my  bond  would 
have  been  my  own  capital  which  I  was  going  to 
embark  in  the  enterprise  in  secret.  I  had  saved 
up  that  money  with  no  one  knows  what  foolish 
dreams.  I  now  realized  these  dreams  possibly 
would  come  to  nought.  Well,  what  difference? 
I  had  no  one  dependent  upon  me,  brother  or 
sister  I  had  never  been  blessed  with,  and  father 
and  mother  were  both  dead  long  since.  I  was 
alone  in  the  world.  What  need  had  I  for  the 
money? 

I  could  always  get  a  berth  on  a  good  ship  as 
mate,  or  perhaps  as  master,  for  which  I  was 
fully  qualified ;  and  I  could  always  earn  enough 
for  my  needs  and  to  spare.  Let  her  have  it 
whose  need  was  great  and  whose  desire  was 
greater. 

I  might  have  bargained  for  a  share  of  the 
treasure  did  we  find  any,  but  I  scorned  to  do  it. 
I  would  fain  give  all  and  expect  nothing.  There 
was  a  certain  salve  to  my  pride  in  becoming  a 
benefactor  to  the  woman  I —  But  I  must  not 
anticipate  in  my  story,  trouble  came  soon 
enough,  as  you  shall  see. 

72 


At  any  rate,  not  being  in  too  great  a  hurry, 
although  I  was  constantly  urged  to  action  by 
my  lady,  who  could  scarce  possess  her  soul  in 
patience  before  she  began  her  treasure  hunting 
once  she  was  resolved  upon  it,  I  looked  about  a 
good  deal  in  order  to  get  just  what  I  wanted. 
Finally  from  a  merchant  of  Plymouth  I  pur- 
chased a  stout  little  ship  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty  tons  .burden  called  The  Rose  of  Devon, 
which  had  been  engaged  in  the  West  Indian  and 
the  American  colonial  trade.  The  name  caught 
my  fancy,  too,  for  was  not  my  Little  Mistress  the 
Rose  of  Devon  herself?  You  that  read  may 
laugh  at  me  for  my  posying  thought  if  you  will ; 
I  care  not,  for  it  is  true. 

It  was  my  first  design  to  have  gone  as  master 
of  her  myself  and  my  lady  would  fain  have  had 
it  so,  but  after  reflection  I  decided  it  were  better 
to  have  a  much  older  man  than  I  to  command  so 
long  as  she  went  as  passenger,  so  I  engaged  a 
worthy  seaman,  one  Samuel  Matthews,  old 
enough  to  be  my  father,  with  whom  I  had  often 
sailed,  in  fact  the  man  under  whom  I  made  my 
first  cruise.  I  did  engage  myself  as  mate,  how- 
ever, and  I  even  tried  to  induce  Master  Ficklin 

73 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

and  his  sister  to  go  with  us,  whereat  that  worthy 
couple  held  up  their  hands  in  horror,  preferring 
the  one  his  musty  parchments  and  suits  at  law, 
and  the  other  her  well  ordered  house  and  spa- 
cious garden.  I  was  not  sorry  for  their  decision. 
I  wanted  to  be  alone  on  that  ship  with  Mistress 
Wilberforce,  with  what  vague  idea  or  aspiration 
I  dared  not  admit  even  to  myself. 

It  seemed  proper,  in  venturing  among  islands 
filled  according  to  common  report  with  savage 
peoples,  to  make  ready  for  fighting;  therefore, 
after  consulting  with  Captain  Matthews,  whom 
I  fully  acquainted  with  the  entire  project  in  all 
its  details,  I  shipped  a  crew  of  thirty  men  and 
I  provided  in  the  equipment  plenty  of  muskets, 
pistols,  and  cutlasses  with  the  necessary  powder 
and  ball  and,  in  addition,  a  small  brass  cannon 
which  I  mounted  on  the  forecastle.  Nor  did 
our  cargo  lack  means  for  friendly  trading  and 
barter  among  the  natives  should  such  be  found 
practicable. 

Naturally,  the  unusualness  of  these  prepara- 
tions attracted  some  little  attention  and  although 
Captain  Matthews  and  I  kept  the  destination 
of  the  ship  and  the  purpose  of  the  cruise  strictly 

74 


DUKE  IS  MARKED  IN  FAREWELL 

private,  we  were  overwhelmed  with  applications 
from  adventurous  men  who  desired  to  make  the 
voyage,  surmising  that  it  was  after  treasure  of 
some  sort  and  that  it  would  be  vastly  different 
from  the  monotony  of  an  ordinary  merchant 
trading  cruise.  Clearance  papers  were  got  out 
for  the  South  Seas,  which  added  the  touch  of 
romance  that  those  waters  always  have,  for  an 
appeal. 

Being  so  engaged  with  these  larger  matters, 
perforce  I  left  the  work  of  signing  on  a  crew  to 
Captain  Matthews.  He  had  as  boatswain  a 
veteran  seaman  named  Pimball  in  whom  he 
placed  great  confidence.  He  was  a  villainous 
looking  man  with  a  white  scar  running  from  his 
left  eye  across  his  cheek,  caused  by  a  cut  he  had 
received  in  some  fight,  and  the  line  of  white 
showing  against  the  bronzed,  weather-beaten 
cheek  he  sported,  did  not  improve  his  appearance. 
But  that  he  was  a  prime  seaman  was  evident. 
Captain  Matthews  reposed  much  trust  in  him, 
somewhat  to  my  surprise,  for  I  was  not  prepos- 
sessed by  his  appearance,  but  the  contrary.  In 
answer  to  my  objections  he  pointed  out  that  many 
a  man's  looks  belied  his  character,  and  although 

75 


I 

THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

Pimball  was  certainly  ugly,  he  was  undoubtedly 
able.  He  had  cruised  several  voyages  with 
Captain  Matthews  and  had  always  shown  him- 
self both  experienced  and  dependable,  so  I  let 
it  go  and  he  and  Pimball  selected  the  rest  of  the 
crew.  It  had  been  better  for  us  in  the  end  if  I 
had  got  rid  of  the  man  as  I  wished.  Or  would 
it?  Well,  it  would  certainly  have  been  better 
for  Master  Pimball  and  his  friends. 

To  anticipate,  when  we  boarded  the  ship  I 
liked  the  crew  not  much  better  than  the  boat- 
swain. I  will  say  this  for  them,  however,  that 
a  smarter,  quicker  set  of  seamen  never  hauled 
on  brace  or  lay  out  on  yardarm.  It  was  not 
their  skill  or  strength  or  courage  that  I  misliked, 
no  man  could  fault  that,  but  they  were  not  the 
sort  of  men  I  would  have  sought  for  a  ship  of 
my  own;  and  the  presence  of  my  lady  and  her 
maid,  a  worthy  woman,  a  long  time  servant  at 
the  castle,  who  had  elected  to  follow  her  for- 
tunes, perhaps  made  me  unduly  timorous;  yet 
I  was  not  unusually  or  extremely  apprehensive. 
I  had  a  sublime  confidence  in  my  own  ability  to 
deal  with  any  man  or  any  group  of  men.  I  had 
no  doubt  that  Captain  Matthews  and  I  would 


DUKE  IS  MARKED  IN  FAREWELL 

be  able  to  master  them  and  bend  their  wills  to 
ours  at  the  cost  of  a  few  hard  words  backed  by 
a  ready  rope's  end  or  a  well-used  marlinspike  or 
belaying  pin. 

I  did  not  stint  the  outfitting  of  the  ship,  and 
when  I  finished,  having  left  nothing  out  of  her 
manifest  that  either  mine  own.  or  Captain  Mat- 
thew's experience  or  imagination  could  suggest, 
including  everything  conceivable  for  the  com- 
fort of  my  lady,  there  remained  of  our  joint 
funds  enough  to  pay  the  wages  of  the  officers  and 
of  the  men  out  and  back  and  no  more.  That  is 
allowing  a  year  for  the  round  voyage.  The 
lines  of  The  Rose  of  Devon  were  unusually  good ; 
she  had  a  reputation  for  being  a  speedy  vessel, 
and  that  was  more  time  than  enough.  It  was 
my  purpose  to  go  on  around  the  world  with  her 
rather  than  retrace  our  course  about  Cape  Horn 
after  we  reached  the  island,  if  we  ever  reached 
it.  So  we  staked  everything  we  had  on  the 
future.  If  my  lady  had  possessed  the  least 
knowledge  of  the  value  of  ships,  she  would  have 
seen  how  little  way  her  two  thousand  pounds 
had  gone,  but  she  was  as  guileless  as  any  other 
woman  on  that  subject,  and  Master  Ficklin  was 

77 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

not  much  better.  I  lied  to  them  both,  although 
with  a  somewhat  uneasy  conscience.  Yet  it  was 
for  her  sake.  My  family  had  followed  hers  for 
I  know  not  how  many  centuries.  They  had 
spent  themselves  for  hers.  I  was  only  keeping 
up  the  traditions  in  placing  all  that  I  had  at  her 
service. 

But  one  thing  which  happened  before  we  em- 
barked occurs  to  me  as  worthy  to  be  chronicled. 
When  all  was  ready  and  everything  aboard,  I 
went  back  to  Master  Ficklin's  in  Tavistock, 
which  was  an  easy  day's  journey  from  Plymouth 
Sound,  where  The  Rose  of  Devon  lay,  to  fetch 
my  lady  and  her  maid.  Master  Ficklin's  house 
was  a  somewhat  large  one  for  an  attorney  and 
was  surrounded  by  a  walled  garden,  perhaps 
two  acres  in  extent,  which  ran  from  the  back  of 
the  house  to  a  little  brook  which  bounded  the 
village.  There  were  a  number  of  fine  old  trees 
in  it  and  much  shrubbery  and  it  was  a  pleasant 
place  in  which  Mistress  Wilberforce  and  I  had 
spent  some,  to  me,  very  delightful  hours  in  per- 
fecting the  plans  for  our  great  undertaking. 

Master  Ficklin  was  at  his  office,  although  it 
was  yet  early  in  the  morning  when  I  called,  in- 

78 


DUKE  IS  MARKED  IN  FAREWELL 

tending  to  fetch  my  lady  to  Plymouth  by  coach, 
a  special  coach  which  I  had  engaged  for  her 
particular  use,  by  the  way.  His  sister  said  that 
Mistress  Wilberforce  was  in  the  garden  and  that 
she  had  company.  She  offered  to  show  me  to  her 
presence,  but  I  said  I  knew  the  way  and  could 
go  myself.  I  did  not  like  the  word  company 
over  much.  Her  fine  friends  had  more  or  less 
forgot  her.  One  or  two  of  the  old  families  which 
had  been  associated  with  hers  had  offered  her 
such  hospitality  and  such  comfort  as  they  had, 
until  she  could  decide  otherwise;  some  of  the 
women  had  called  upon  her,  one  or  two  men  had 
sought  her  out,  but  she  was  a  proud  little  woman, 
as  you  can  divine,  and  would  have  none  of  them. 
She  had  dropped  out  of  their  lives  and  latterly 
no  one  had  disturbed  her,  therefore  I  was  per- 
turbed at  the  tidings. 

I  passed  though  the  hall,  out  of  the  back  door 
and  into  the  garden.  The  path  to  the  brook 
wound  and  twisted  so  that  you  could  not  see  the 
stream  for  the  trees  and  shrubs.  I  stood  a  mo- 
ment, hesitating,  wondering  whether  after  all  I 
had  the  right  or  the  privilege  to  break  in  upon 
such  company  as  she  might  be  entertaining,  when 

79 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

a  scream  which  came  faintly  from  the  end  of 
the  garden,  decided  me. 

I  broke  into  a  run  and  in  a  few  moments  came 
upon  my  lady  struggling  in  the  arms  of  a  man. 
What  man,  do  you  ask?  None  other  than 
his  grace,  the  Duke  of  Arcester!  He  had  his 
arms  around  her  and  although  he  was  no  great 
figure  of  a  man,  he  was  much  stronger  than  the 
slight  girl  he  was  grappling  so  roughly.  He 
held  her  tightly  by  the  waist  with  one  arm  and 
with  the  other  was  trying  to  turn  her  head  so 
that  he  could  kiss  her  fairly  on  her  lips. 

I  was  upon  them  before  either  realized  my 
arrival.  In  my  fury  I  grasped  the  duke  by  the 
collar  of  his  coat  with  my  left  hand  and  with 
my  right  I  ruthlessly  tore  him  away  from  my 
lady. 

"Thank  God,  you  have  cornel"  she  cried,  reel- 
ing and  staggering,  her  face  flushed,  her  hair 
disheveled,  her  dress  in  disarray. 

I  heard  that  much  and  then  the  duke  was  upon 
me.  Gritting  his  teeth  and  swearing  frightful 
oaths,  he  got  to  his  feet — I  had  thrown  him 
prone — dragged  out  his  sword  and  rushed  at  me. 

"You  dogl"  he  cried,  "you  have  balked  me 

80 


DUKE  IS  MARKED  IN  FAREWELL 

before  and  you  interfere  now.  I  have  had 
enough  of  you,  and  the  world  has." 

He  did  not  intend  to  give  me  any  chance  to 
defend  myself  apparently.  My  little  mistress 
screamed.  I  heard  her  call  my  name  and  I  sup- 
pose she  thought  I  was  done  for,  but  sailors  are 
proverbially  quick  witted,  footed,  and  handed, 
and  I  was  not  the  least  alert  of  seamen  for  all  my 
size.  I  was  wearing  a  hanger,  a  much  heavier 
and  more  unwieldly  weapon  than  the  duke's 
dress  sword,  but  its  weight  was  a  matter  of  no 
moment  to  an  arm  like  mine.  I  sprang  aside 
as  he  lunged  furiously  at  me,  drew  it,  and  the 
next  moment  our  blades  clashed  in  earnest.  For 
myself,  I  rejoiced  in  the  opportunity.  Some 
men  of  humble  birth  might  have  been  disturbed 
at  the  thought  of  crossing  swords  with  a  great 
noble,  but  nothing  of  that  occurred  to  me.  I 
wanted  to  show  my  lady,I  confess,  that  even  with 
gentlemen's  weapons  I  was  this  man's  master. 
And  so  I  fell  to  it  eagerly. 

Now  I  am  a  good  fighter  and  no  mean  fencer. 
I  can  cross  blades  with  any  one  on  earth.  I  did 
not  know  all  the  niceties  and  refinements  of  the 
game.  I  lacked  grace  perhaps — but  when  it 

81 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

came  to  attack  and  defense,  there  were  few  men 
who  could  beat  me — certainly  the  duke  was  not 
one  of  them.  My  swift  play  must  have  looked 
to  the  duke  as  if  I  were  surrounded  by  a  wall 
of  steel.  Therefore,  he  realized  at  once  that  his 
only  chance  lay  in  the  energy  and  rapidity  of 
his  fence.  He  was  as  passionately  incensed  as 
I,  if  from  a  different  cause.  Lunge  succeeded 
lunge  with  lightning-like  speed.  I  will  admit 
that  I  was  hard  put  to  it  for  a  time.  The  play 
of  light  on  his  blade  fairly  dazzled  me.  It  was 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  parried.  But 
my  lord  was  not  built  for  the  long  continuance 
of  such  violent  exercise.  Sweat  ran  into  his 
eyes,  his  thrusts  grew  less  swift,  less  sure,  if  not 
less  vicious  in  their  intent.  I  could  feel  his 
growing  weakness  with  my  blade.  After  a  few 
moments  I  saw  that  I  had  him.  It  was  now  my 
turn  to  attack.  Something  of  the  berserk  mad- 
ness of  my  Saxon  ancestors  suddenly  filled  my 
veins.  I  beat  down  his  defense  by  a  series  of 
terrific  blows  and  finally  shivered  his  sword. 
He  stood  before  me  panting,  weaponless,  yet  to 
give  him  his  due,  more  or  less  undaunted.  I 
raised  my  own  blade. 

82 


DUKE  IS  MARKED  IN  FAREWELL 

"Would  you  strike  a  defenseless  man,  cur?" 
he  cried  haughtily,  still  not  blenching. 

"You  had  no  scruple  in  attacking  a  defense- 
less woman,"  I  replied.  "Nay,"  I  thundered  as 
he  made  a  sudden  movement,  "stand  where  you 
are.  What  I  shall  do  to  you  depends  upon  what 
I  hear.  If  you  move  I  swear  to  you  that  I  will 
beat  you  down  like  the  villain  that  you  are." 

I  was  amazed  afterward  at  my  temerity  in 
thus  addressing  a  duke,  but  you  will  understand 
my  feelings.  Without  taking  my  eyes  off  of 
him,  I  next  addressed  myself  to  my  lady,  who 
had  shrunk  aside  and  watched  us  breathlessly. 

"Will  you  tell  me  now,  Mistress  Lucy,"  said  I 
softly,  "what  this  man  proposed  or  said?  I  can 
see  what  he  did,  but  what  were  his  meaning  and 
intent?" 

"He — he — wanted — me  to  go  with  him,"  fal- 
tered my  lady. 

"He  renewed  his  offer  of  marriage?"  I  asked 
with  a  sudden  sinking  of  heart. 

I  had  a  good  deal  of  reverence  for  the  nobility 
except  in  the  heat  of  battle,  and  even  as  bad  a 
man  as  Arcester  was  nevertheless  a  duke  and  a 
great  personage.  That  should  mean  something 

83 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

to  a  woman.  Perhaps  my  lady  might  wish  to 
marry  him  after  all  I 

"No,"  whispered  the  girl,  and  at  her  answer 
my  blood  burned  for  her. 

"My  God!"  I  cried,  "did  you  dare  to—" 

"Why  should  I  marry  a  penniless  baggage?" 
he  sneered.  It  was  a  reckless  thing  to  do,  seeing 
his  helpless  position.  "She  would  not  go  with 
me,  she  refused  even  to  take  my  hand,  the  little 
fool,  so  I  seized  her.  Was  it  because  she  pre- 
ferred you,  yokel?"  he  added. 

"For  whatever  reason  she  refused  the  prof- 
fered honor,  she  has  had  a  lucky  escape." 

"Perhaps  so,  clodhopper,  for  I  should  have 
discarded  and  forgot  her  when  her  prettiness 
had  faded,  but  you — " 

"I  shall  ensure  that  you  will  remember  all 
the  days  of  your  life  what  you  tried  to  do ;  the 
insult  that  you  put  upon  this  lady,"  I  said 
quietly,  although  I  was  blazing  inside. 

"Would  you  kill  me?"  he  cried,  and  I  be- 
lieve I  detected  a  note  of  alarm  in  his  voice  for 
the  first  time,  as  I  stepped  nearer  to  him. 

"No,"  said  I,  "that  would  be  too  quick  and 
easy  an  end  to  your  punishment.  I  will  put  my 


mark  upon  you,  her  brand  as  a  blackguard. 
Everybody  who  sees  you  will  ask  you  about  it 
and  you  can  explain  it  as  you  will.  Two  persons 
at  least  will  know  what  the  mark  signifies,  my 
lady  and  myself." 

He  stared  at  me  absolutely  uncomprehending, 
but  before  he  could  make  a  move  I  caught  him 
around  the  breast,  pinioned  both  his  arms  to  his 
side  with  one  arm  and  then  I  deliberately  short- 
ened my  sword,  holding  it  by  the  blade,  and  cut 
two  long,  deeply  scored,  rough  gashes  crosswise 
in  his  right  cheek.  He  struggled  and  shrieked 
horribly  as  I  did  so  and  my  lady  screamed  as 
well,  but  I  held  him  close  until  I  finished.  He 
was  a  handsome  man,  but  those  two  scars, 
roughly  criscrossed,  would  never  be  eradicated, 
for  I  had  cut  deep  with  deliberate  purpose. 

"Now,"  said  I  to  my  little  mistress,  "before  I 
release  him  one  more  question.  Did  he — did 
he  kiss  you?" 

"No,"  answered  Mistress  Wilberforce  faintly. 

"Good,"  I  continued  grimly,  "had  he  done  so 
I  had  marked  the  other  cheek." 

After  that  assurance  of  hers  I  released  him 
and  he  staggered  back,  trembling  and  shaking, 

85 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

spitting  blood,  his  cheek  bleeding,  a  horrible 
looking  object. 

"That  will  be  a  lesson  to  your  grace,"  said  I 
grimly,  "not  to  insult  an  honest  woman.  I  have 
no  doubt  there  are  many  who  would  rejoice 
to  see  you  now  and  to  know  why  I  have  put  my 
mark  upon  you." 

"I  will  have  the  law  on  you.  I  will  have  your 
life,"  he  sputtered  out. 

"You  can  have  anything  you  want,"  said  I 
recklessly.  "I  am  your  master  with  the  sword, 
and  your  master  with  everything  else.  Now 

go." 

He  turned  and  staggered  away  and  that  was 
the  last  I  saw  of  him.  I  heard  later  that  he  had 
had  the  devil's  own  time  explaining  those  marks. 
He  proclaimed  that  they  had  been  inflicted  by 
a  madman,  which  was  nearly  the  truth,  but  in 
some  way  the  story  leaked  out  and  I  should  judge 
that  my  vengeance  for  the  insult  to  my  lady  was 
as  adequate  as  anything  could  be.  He  never 
lived  down  the  tale,  and  I  take  it  he  was  glad 
when  he  received  a  mortal  wound  in  a  duel  from 
the  hand  of  some  other  avenger  of  a  woman's 
wrong  some  years  later. 

86 


DUKE  IS  MARKED  IN  FAREWELL 

"Master  Hampdon,"  whispered  Mistress 
Lucy,  in  an  awestruck  voice,  as  we  went  together 
through  the  garden,  while  I  wiped  my  sword 
with  leaves,  "why  did  you  do  that?  'Twas 
horrible." 

"Why,  mistress,"  said  I,  striving  to  speak 
formally,  "when  I  saw  you  in  his  arms  I  could 
have  killed  him." 

"But  to  mark  him  thus  forever — "  she  began. 

"Enough,"  said  I,  with  one  of  those  flashes 
of  imperiousness  which  always  amazed  me  after- 
ward and  which  really  seemed  to  affect  her 
strangely,  "he  only  got  his  deserts." 

"But  he  will  take  his  revenge  on  you,"  she 
persisted. 

"Let  him  try,"  said  I  indifferently.  "But  I 
am  come  to  take  you  to  the  ship.  We  must  get 
there  tonight  to  sail  with  the  beginning  of  the 
ebb  tomorrow  morning." 

"I  am  ready,"  she  said,  putting  her  hand  upon 
my  arm  with  unwonted  humility. 

We  went  into  the  house  and  from  there  to  the 
coach  with  her  maid  and  her  baggage,  after 
making  her  farewells  to  her  kind  host  and 
hostess.  In  the  evening  we  got  aboard  the  ship 

87 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

where  I  saw  her  safely  bestowed  in  the  com- 
fortable cabin  I  had  arranged  for  her  and  for 
her  woman.  When  day  broke  and  she  came 
on  deck,  we  were  under  way  for  the  Island  of 
the  Stairs.  The  great  adventure  had  begun. 


BOOK  II 

ABOARD  SHIP  IN  THE  SOUTH  SEAS 
The  Murderous  Mutineers  and  the  Woman 


CHAPTER  VI 

IN  WHICH  I  AM  PUNISHED  FOR  MY  PRESUMPTION 

I  PASS  over  the  events  of  the  next  six  months 
without  comment,  but  not  because  they  were 
uninteresting.  Oh,  no.  One  could  not  sail 
from  Plymouth,  England,  to  the  South  Seas, 
touching  at  Madeira,  the  Canaries,  Rio  and 
Buenos  Ayres  and  rounding  the  mighty  and  fear- 
some Cape  Horn,  without  seeing  many  things 
of  interest  and  participating  in  scenes  as  danger- 
ous as  they  were  exciting.  But  I  am  not  writing 
a  book  of  travels,  though  perchance  I  may  some 
day  endeavor  to  set  forth  for  your  delectation 
some  of  my  far  voyagings  in  unknown  seas. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  we  passed  safely  from  the 
much  traversed  Atlantic  to  the  lonely  Pacific, 
and  were  drawing  near  to  the  island  we  sought 
according  to  the  calculations  of  good  Cap- 
tain Matthews  and  myself,  when  something 
happened. 

I  had  brought  it  on  myself,  I  realized,  but 

91 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

that  made  it  no  more  bearable.  Indeed,  I  was 
mad,  mad  all  through ;  outraged  in  dignity,  hu- 
miliated in  self-respect,  and  were  it  not  foolish 
to  speak  so  of  a  man  of  my  years  and  standing, 
I  should  say  I  was  broken  in  heart.  I  suppose 
that  I  should  feel  the  wound  to  my  affections 
more  than  that  to  my  pride  later,  but  at  that  pres- 
ent moment  feelings  of  indignation  predom- 
inated. I  had  been  a  fool,  of  course,  and  I 
should  have  expected  nothing  else;  equally,  of 
course,  perhaps  I  should  even  have  anticipated 
this,  and  probably  if  I  had  been  in  my  right 
senses  on  that  day  I  would  have  known  it.  But 
then  you  see,  I  was  not  in  my  right  senses,  and 
that  was  the  secret  of  my  disgrace.  And  that  it 
all  happened  after  half  a  year  of  the  friendliest, 
most  pleasant  intercourse  between  a  man  and  a 
maid  only  intensified  the  bitterness  of  the 
situation. 

My  little  mistress  had  been  so  kind  to  me 
that  I  had  dwelt  in  a  fool's  paradise.  I  awoke 
to  realize  that  she  had  not  forgot  the  difference 
between  our  stations.  She  had  been  born  in  the 
castle,  I  in  the  gardener's  lodge ;  she  was  of  the 
great  house,  I  was  of  the  cottage.  I  had  forgot 

92 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

it  in  these  long  months  at  sea — by  heaven,  the 
sight  of  her  was  enough  to  make  a  man  forget 
anything  if  he  loved  her  as  I !  There,  the  secret 
is  out,  though  I  make  no  doubt  you  guessed  it 
long  before — but  it  seems  she  had  not.  There 
was  no  mirror  in  the  cabin,  but  I  could  well 
guess  that  the  sight  of  me  was  not  sufficiently 
prepossessing  to  make  any  woman  forget  our 
respective  merits  and  stations. 

In  birth,  in  breeding,  in  education,  in  every- 
thing, she  stood  immeasurably  removed  from 
me;  so  far  removed  that  association  on  any  terms 
scarcely  seemed  possible.  Yet  she  had  been  so 
kind.  I  was  her  only  confident  or  companion 
in  the  ship.  I  had  forgot  all  that  lay  between, 
or  else,  remembering,  I  had  yet  endeavored  to 
leap  the  gap.  I  had  fondly  hoped  that  the  one 
thing  in  me  that  was  truly  great,  my  passion  for 
her,  would  land  me  safely  by  her  side.  I  did 
not  see  how  she  could  fail  to  comprehend  itj 
though  I  did  try  to  disguise  it. 

Well,  that  love  of  mine — it  had  not  brought 
her  nearer.  On  the  contrary  it  had  put  me 
under  lock  and  key  I  And  here  I  was,  shut  up 
like  a  criminal  in  my  own  cabin  in  her  ship,  or 

93 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

mine  for  that  matter.  Come  to  think  of  it,  that 
moment  I  believe  love  had  completely  disap- 
peared. I  could  recall — and  can  to  this  day — 
the  fierce,  burning  rush  of  color  to  her  cheek 
where  I  had  kissed  it;  the  fire  of  rage  and  sur- 
prise mingled  which  sparkled  in  her  eyes.  The 
Duke  of  Arcester  I  had  marked  for  life  for  less 
than  this,  I  recalled  in  shame. 

I  hardly  recollected  the  fierce  blow  of  her 
hand  upon  my  face.  That  was  nothing.  I  had 
laughed  at  it  as  she  had  recoiled  from  me  when  I 
had  released  her — actually  laughed  I  I  was  not 
laughing  at  her,  God  knows,  but  at  her  impo- 
tence physically  compared  to  my  strength.  She 
was  a  small  slender  little  body,  I  could  have  car- 
ried her  easily  with  my  one  hand — and  I  have 
often  done  so  since — yet  she  struck  hard  when 
she  did  strike. 

As  I  recalled  it,  I  suppose  that  laugh  was  my 
undoing.  Perhaps  she  thought  I  laughed  at 
her.  Well,  what  mattered  it?  Whatever  the 
cause,  I  was  undone.  All  the  patient  devotion 
of  years,  all  the  restraint  of  the  long  voyage  had 
come  to  naught. 

There  had  been  plenty  of  bright  starlight  on 

94 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

deck.  She  had  stepped  out  from  the  dark 
shadow  of  the  spencer  and  I  had  followed  hard 
on  her  heels.  The  first  night  watch  had  not  yet 
been  called  and  the  men  idle  about  the  decks, 
waiting  the  boatswain's  shrill  whistle,  had  noted 
it  all.  I  can  see  their  sneering,  laughing  faces 
even  now.  God!  I  could  bear  anything  from 
her  but  nothing  from  them,  and  but  for  the  sorry 
figure  I  must  have  cut  in  a  low  brawl  with  the 
ruffians,  I  would  have  leaped  upon  them  and 
fought  them  until  they  killed  me. 

As  it  was,  I  drew  myself  up  and  waited  while 
she  sent  for  good  old  Captain  Matthews  and, 
vouchsafing  no  explanations,  imperiously  bade 
him  stow  me  below  as  a  prisoner  in  my  cabin. 
He  didn't  relish  the  job  but  went  about  it  forth- 
with. Indeed,  I  did  not  wait  for  further  orders 
after  her  look  and  glance.  I  stalked  below  as 
haughtily  as  you  please.  It  was  her  ship,  as 
she  had  said  and  as  she  certainly  believed,  and 
had  it  not  been,  who  could  deny  her  anything? 
Not  I,  forsooth.  I  could  steal  a  kiss  but  not 
balk  her  will. 

So  here  I  was,  the  mate  of  The  Rose  of  Devon 
— and  but  for  my  own  renunciation  I  had  been 

95 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

her  captain — engaged  in  this  wild  goose  chase, 
this  foolish  search  for  treasure,  for  so  it  seemed 
to  me  then,  locked  up  below  like  any  mutinous 
dog  at  the  behest  of  a  woman  that  I  could  have 
broke  between  my  thumb  and  finger.  And 
after  all  I  had  done  and  sacrificed  for  her,  too. 

The  hot  blood  came  into  my  cheeks  again.  I 
remember  I  raised  my  arm  and  shook  it  toward 
the  door  and  then  let  it  fall.  What  was  the  use? 
I  was  her  prisoner.  I  loved  her,  fool  that  I  was. 
I  thought  then  and  I  think  now  I  had  rather  be 
her  prisoner  than  be  free  and  away  from  her, 
than  be  free  and  know  her  not.  No  lovesick 
boy  could  have  been  more  foolish  than  I  about 
her — and,  in  your  ear,  I  am  so  yet. 

Come  to  think  of  it,  I  had  always  loved  her, 
ever  since  those  days  when  I,  the  gardener's 
boy,  had  been  her  faithful  and  devoted  slave. 
And  through  the  long  years  when  I  had  been 
far  voyaging  in  distant  seas  I  had  kept  her  mem- 
ory fresh  and  sweet  and  true.  I  had  been  in 
many  rough  places,  I  had  seen  life  from  the 
seamy  side,  the  common  lot  of  a  sailor  of  my  day 
had  been  mine.  I  was  not  what  you  would  call 
a  religious  man ;  no,  not  nearly  religious  enough, 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

but  the  thought  of  her  and  my  mother  had  kept 
me  a  clean  man.  In  that  respect,  at  least,  I  was 
worthy  of  her;  doubtless,  I  dare  say,  more 
worthy  of  her  than  Arcester  and  Luftdon  and 
all  the  young  gallants  who  had  paid  court  to  her 
before  her  father  lost  his  all  and  had  blown  out 
his  brains,  leaving  her  but  the  parchment  and 
enough  gear  with  my  aid  to  charter  and  equip 
the  ship. 

Such  as  it  was,  my  heart  was  hers,  and  my 
life  had  always  been.  As  often  as  I  could  I  had 
come  back  to  the  old  cottage  where  I  was  born 
and  for  old  time's  sake  she  had  been  kind  to  me. 
I  had  craved  even  her  condescension,  although 
it  made  me  mad  to  see  her  surrounded  by  the 
other  men  and  women,  so  that  I  would  fling 
myself  away  and  take  the  first  ship  that  offered 
to  the  farthest  port.  Yet,  I  always  came  back 
— to  her. 

And  I  had  been  so  glad  that  I  was  there  when 
Sir  Geoffrey  had  killed  himself  and  that  I  had 
bought  the  ship  and  fitted  it  out  and  had  been 
able  to  do  so  much  for  her.  As  I  said,  she  would 
fain  have  given  me  command  of  the  saucy  little 
Rose  of  Devon  had  I  willed  it — and  sometimes, 

97 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

now  for  instance,  I  cursed  myself  that  I  had  not 
taken  it  rather  than  insisted  that  she  should  have 
an  older  man,  not  a  better  seaman,  than  I. 
There  are  no  better  seamen  in  narrow  seas  or 
broad  than  I,  if  I  do  say  it  myself,  who  should 
not. 

I  had  worked  my  way  up  through  the  fore- 
castle to  the  quarter-deck.  I  had  a  natural  gift 
for  figures.  I  could  take  a  sight  and  work  out 
a  position  as  well  as  any  book-taught  navigator, 
and  I  had  been  a  great  reader,  too.  My  private 
cabin  was  crowded  with  books.  A  goodly  por- 
tion of  my  earnings  was  ever  spent  that  way. 
I  had  wit  enough  to  choose  good  books,  too,  and 
perseverance  enough  to  study  them  well.  And 
they  stared  at  me  then  from  shelves  built  in  the 
bulkhead.  What  fond  dreams  I  had  indulged 
in  while  I  had  pored  over  them,  turning  their 
thin  pages  with  my  tarred,  blunt  fingers  I  I 
walked  over  to  them  that  night  and  struck  them 
with  my  fist  in  impotent  rage.  What  was  the 
use  of  it?  The  stain  of  tar  was  on  me  forever 
in  her  eyes. 

And  yet  I  knew  more  than  she.  Oh,  much 
more  about  everything  but  the  usages  of  good 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

society,  and  I  had  at  least  learned  something  of 
good  manners  in  her  company  since  her  father's 
death.  Many  a  time  I  have  caught  her  tripping 
as  to  facts  of  knowledge,  not  daring,  not  even 
caring  to  tell  her;  or,  perhaps  I  had  better  say, 
not  wishful  to  humiliate  her  by  showing  her 
that  she  was  wrong,  content  to  know  that  much 
myself,  and  hugging  my  poor  little  superiority 
to  my  heart.  I  knew  more  than  she  and  more 
than  most  of  the  men  with  whom  she  associated. 
My  shipmates  used  to  laugh  at  me  for  being  a 
book  delver,  a  worm,  they  were  wont  to  call  me. 
Well,  they  did  n't  laugh  very  long.  There  was 
nothing  physical  for  which  I  need  stand  aside 
for  any  man.  I  was  over  six  feet  high  and  built 
in  proportion.  I  could  unaided,  and  alone, 
hold  the  wheel  of  the  best  ship  in  the  fiercest 
storm.  I  had  matched  myself  against  man  and 
against  storm,  not  once  but  many  times,  and 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other  had  ever  made  me 
back  down. 

Now  I  was  a  prisoner.  I  said  I  did  n't  feel 
that  blow  on  the  cheek,  but  as  I  thought  on  it, 
it  fairly  seared  me.  I  hated  her,  I  hoped  that — 
no,  I  might  as  well  be  honest  with  myself — I 

99 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

did  n't  care  how  she  treated  me,  how  disdainful 
were  her  words,  how  unjustly  she  punished  me, 
I  loved  her.  I  could  n't  help  it,  I  did  n't  want 
to  help  it.  I  would  fain  kiss  the  deck  planks 
she  hallowed  with  her  footsteps. 

There  was  another  side  to  my  confinement  and 
I  presently  took  thought  on  that.  I  swear  that 
I  was  not  thinking  of  myself  but  of  her.  I  was 
ever  thinking  of  her.  I  could  see  dangers  that 
beset  her  as  perhaps  no  one  else  could,  and  my 
confinement  added  to  her  peril.  She  did  n't 
realize  that;  nobody  aft  on  the  ship  realized  it. 
I  did  not  see  any  present  way  to  make  her  under- 
stand the  situation.  I  had  not  cared  to  alarm 
her  before,  and  any  attempt  on  my  part  to  set 
it  forth  now  would  be  looked  upon  as  a  personal 
plea,  and  yet  there  was  a  peril,  imminent,  men- 
acing, about  to  break,  I  feared. 

You  see,  the  fact  that  we  were  treasure  hunt- 
ing had  got  about.  Who  told  it  I  could  not 
discover,  but  the  unusualness  of  our  proceed- 
ings, the  arming  of  a  peaceful  merchant  ship,  the 
indefiniteness  of  the  articles,  the  clearing  from 
Plymouth  for  the  South  Seas,  the  absence  of  any 
great  amount  of  cargo,  and  the  high  wages 

100 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

promised  had  aroused  suspicions.  I  had  not 
thought  much  about  the  crew,  except  of  Pim- 
ball.  We  had  shipped  a  lot  of  smart  seamen; 
about  the  average  in  quality  and  above  the  av- 
erage in  smartness,  I  decided  as  the  days  had 
passed  with  nothing  happening;  but  times  were 
good  and  ships  were  plenty,  and  we  had  sailed 
rather  late  in  the  season,  and  Pimball  had  signed 
many  I  could  wish  had  been  left  ashore. 

Her  presence  on  the  ship,  too,  was  a  mystery. 
'Alone  in  the  little  Rose  of  Devon  with  thirty 
men  I  By  evil  mishap  the  maid  she  had  brought 
with  her  had  died  after  a  brief  illness  two  weeks 
out.  Captain  Matthews  and  I  were  for  turning 
back,  but  she  said  no,  she  would  go  on.  We 
had  lost  too  much  time  already  and  her  all  was 
embarked.  We  were  now  plowing  the  blue 
waters  of  the  Pacific  and  I,  mate  of  the  ship, 
and  the  only  other  officer  to  be  trusted,  locked 
upl  Pimball,  the  boatswain,  seemed  to  me  to 
be  the  least  trustworthy  of  the  lot.  I  had  not 
got  over  my  initial  dislike  for  him  at  all  I 

We  were  nearing  the  latitude  and  longitude 
of  the  island.  Suppose  the  men  rose  in  mutiny! 
I  ground  my  teeth  in  rage  at  the  thought.  The 

101 


men  liked  me  well  enough,  and  I  had  been  par- 
ticular to  keep  them  in  good  humor,  passing 
over  many  a  thing  for  her  sake  that  I  would 
have  followed  with  a  blow  had  she  not  been 
there.  Captain  Matthews  had  complained  once 
or  twice  of  my  laxity,  but  I  knew  things  that  he 
did  n't,  and  I  had  done  what  I  deemed  best  for 
her.  I  pledge  you  my  word  that  I  did  n't  care 
a  farthing  for  the  treasure.  I  had  never  given  it 
much  thought.  I  grew  to  believe  in  it  less  and 
less  as  we  got  further  from  home,  and  if  I  had 
been  stronger  for  my  duty  and  weaker  in  my 
love  I  would  have  dissuaded  her  from  the  voy- 
age, following  Master  Ficklin's  lead. 

Now  that  she  was  poor  and  alone,  neglected 
and  forgotten,  I  had  enjoyed  a  foolish  dream  that 
I  could  be  a  companion  to  her — a  life  shipmate! 
— for  the  captain  was  a  rough,  plain  old  sailor. 
What  a  fool  I  was!  and  yet  it  had  worked  in 
some  way  as  I  had  intended.  We  had  been 
thrown  into  closer  intimacy  by  the  loneliness  of 
her  position,  and  by  my  faithful  and,  until  that 
night,  most  unobstrusive,  self-effacing  devotion. 
I  was  thinking  too  much  of  her  to  give  my  at- 
tention to  any  other  kind  of  treasure  anyway, 

1 02 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

and  I  'd  rather  have  had  her  than  all  the  golden 
argosies  that  plowed  the  seas. 

I  supposed  it  never  entered  her  head  that  I 
could  presume  to  love  her,  consequently  she  was 
less  careful  than  she  had  been  otherwise,  and 
that  very  night  when  I  had  poured  out  my 
declaration  to  her,  she  had  found  no  words  with 
which  to  meet  it.  I  thought  her  motionless 
silence  was  consent.  I  see  now  that  it  was  pet- 
rified amazement.  I  seized  her  in  my  arms,  like 
the  brute  she  must  have  thought  me,  lifted  her 
up  and  kissed  her  fair  on  the  lips  and  then  on 
her  averted  cheek.  Arcester,  the  blackguard, 
could  have  done  no  worse.  I  will  never  forget 
how  she  stigmatized  me,  brute,  coward,  low- 
born. I  don't  believe  she  had  railed  at  that 
scoundrel  duke  so  fiercely.  Well,  I  did  n't  care 
what  she  called  me.  Her  safety,  her  life,  her 
honor  demanded  that  I  be  released.  That  was 
the  paramount  concern. 

I  listened — I  thought  I  heard  a  footfall  in 
the  outer  cabin.  Could  she  be  there?  I  sup- 
pose that  I  had  been  locked  up  for  perhaps  an 
hour,  aye,  on  the  instant  the  bell  forward  struck 
three.  We  kept  man-o'-war  customs  at  her 

103 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

fancy.  The  sound  came  to  me  faintly  as  I  lis- 
tened. Half  past  nine.  She  could  not  have 
gone  to  her  berth  yet.  She  must  be  there  in  the 
great  cabin.  I  ventured  to  call. 

Any  man  can  imagine  what  it  cost  me  to  hum- 
ble myself  to  ask  her  mercy.  Stop,  I  ought  to 
apologize.  No  gentleman — I  do  not  mean  the 
dandies  that  made  love  to  her — but  no  real 
gentleman  such  as  I,  in  spite  of  my  low  birth 
and  rough  breeding,  hoped  I  might  prove  my- 
self to  be,  would  have  taken  advantage  of  her  as 
I  did.  Yes,  an  apology  was  certainly  owing 
from  me.  Even  had  it  not  been  I  should  have 
been  compelled  to  make  it  for  her  sake. 

I  am  a  man  of  fierce  temper,  as  you  have 
deemed  and  as  you  shall  see,  if  you  go  with  us 
further  in  this  history,  but  I  can  control  it  on 
occasion,  and  I  did  it  now.  I  shook  the  door  of 
the  cabin  gently  at  first  and  then  vigorously  and 
called  once  and  again.  There  was  no  answer. 
I  beat  upon  it.  I  raised  my  voice.  I  scarcely 
thought  I  could  be  heard  on  deck.  The  wind 
was  blowing,  the  sea  was  heavy  and  the  ship  was 
pitching  wildly,  the  straining,  the  creaking,  the 
groaning  of  the  timbers  would  have  prevented 

104 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

such  a  noise  as  I  made  from  attracting  attention 
unless  someone  were  in  the  cabin. 

But  all  in  vain.  No  heed  was  paid  to  me  and 
yet  I  could  swear  that  somebody  was  there.  I 
don't  know  how  exactly,  but  I  was  conscious  of 
her  presence.  Perhaps  because  I  was  so  in  love 
with  her  that  I  could  always  tell  whether  she 
was  about.  I  can  to  this  day.  Many  a  time  in 
after  years  she  has  stepped  into  the  room  where 
I  have  been  sitting,  without  a  sound,  and  has 
come  to  me  and  laid  her  hand  on  my  shoulder, 
but  I  have  had  knowledge  before  she  touched  me 
that  she  was  there. 

It  made  me  madder  than  before  to  go  thus 
unheeded.  I  was  on  the  point  of  giving  over 
my  endeavor,  but  the  thought  of  that  peril  in 
which  she  stood,  and  the  fact  that  I  was  removed 
from  the  deck  and  a  prisoner,  made  me  resolve 
on  one  more  effort.  She  must  be  made  to  hear, 
and  if  to  hear,  to  answer. 

"Madam,"  I  whispered  softly,  and  then  more 
loudly,  "Madam!" 

I  did  not  venture  to  say  any  other  name.  I 
called  again  and  yet  a  fourth  time  and  then  for 
the  last  time  with  the  full  power  of  my  voice. 

105 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

I  heard  a  movement  outside  and  then  a  voice, 
beloved,  blessed  voice  even  when  it  rated  me! 

"Well,  sir." 

The  words  came  to  me  through  the  partition. 
She  was  there  then,  as  I  had  divined.  She  had 
been  there  all  the  time,  trying  me. 

"I  would  fain  have  a  word  with  you,"  I  an- 
swered, putting  everything  else  by  and  speaking 
most  entreatingly  and  with  a  humility  I  did  not 
altogether  feel. 

"I  desire  no  speech  with  you,"  was  her  cold 
and  measured  answer. 

I  could  hear  her  turn  as  if  to  move  away. 
She  had  come  very  softly,  but  she  went  loudly 
as  if  to  show  me  her  intention. 

"Think  of  my  long  and  faithful  service,"  I 
urged,  "and  of  your  gracious  friendship  for  me, 
often  expressed." 

"You  yourself  forgot  it  tonight." 

"For  God's  sake,"  I  cried  desperately  as  I 
heard  her  go,  "just  one  word." 

"An  apology?     Do  you  beg  for  forgiveness?" 

"No — yes — anything,"  I  finished  in  confusion. 

"I  will  not  listen.  I  wish  to  convince  you  of 
the  enormity  of  what  you  have  done,  the  gross- 

106 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

ness  of  your  presumption.     I  will  give  you  time 
for  quiet  reflection,  sir." 

"I  am  convinced  already,"  I  urged  hurriedly. 

"So  easily,"  she  mocked. 

"Madam,  if  you  love  life  and  honor,  I  pray 
you  hear  me.  It  is  not  of  myself  I  think  but  of 
you.  You  are  in  grave  peril,"  returned  I  with 
the  utmost  seriousness. 

"What  peril?" 

There  was  a  note  of  alarm  in  her  voice  in 
spite  of  her  effort  to  be  indifferent.  I  seized 
upon  its  promise  eagerly. 

"The  men  of  the  ship,  they  are  not  what  they 
should  be.  Captain  Matthews  is  alone.  Pirn- 
ball  is  a  villain.  I  trust  no  one  but— 

"And  is  that  the  plea  on  which  you  seek  your 
freedom?" 

"That  is  the  only  plea." 

"You  did  not  discover  this  danger  until  I 
locked  you  up,  did  you?" 

She  laughed  mockingly,  but  there  was  music 
in  her  voice  for  me,  albeit  her  words  were  harsh 
and  unjust. 

"I  tell  you  that  it  is  not  for  myself  I  fear,  but 
for  you,"  I  persisted. 

107 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"And  was  it  for  that  you  insulted  me  on  the 
•quarter-deck  before  the  men  and — " 

"No,"  said  I  savagely.  "By  heavens,  I  did 
that  for  myself." 

"Arcester  could  have  done  no  worse,"  she  said 
cuttingly. 

"Curse  Arcester!"  I  burst  out,  the  mention  of 
the  man's  name  always  inflaming  me,  "he  would 
have  made  you  his — " 

"Silence!"  cried  the  woman.  "I  will  hear  nc 
more.  It  is  a  foolish  plea,  the  men  are  devoted 
to  me  and — " 

"For  God's  sake,  Mistress  Wilberforce,"  I 
cried,  but  this  time  she  was  gone. 

I  heard  the  door  of  her  cabin  shut  violently. 
There  was  no  help  for  it.  Well,  I  must  devise 
some  way  unaided.  For  I  must  get  out  for  her 
sake.  The  cabin  was  lighted  by  an  air  port 
closed  by  a  deadlight.  I  measured  it,  drew 
back  the  thick  glass  and  examined  the  opening, 
although  I  knew  it  was  a  futile  proposition.  A 
slender  boy  might  have  slipped  through  but  not 
a  man  such  as  I.  My  mighty  thews  and  sinews 
and  great  bulk  required  a  door  and  no  small  one, 
either. 

108 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

The  wind  had  increased,  it  was  blowing  hard 
outside  and  some  spray  came  in  through  the  port 
as  the  waves  slapped  the  side  of  the  ship.  I 
closed  and  secured  it;  there  was  nothing  to  be 
gained  there.  I  must  seek  some  other  way. 

I  was  not  weaponless.  Nobody  had  thought  to 
search  my  cabin,  and  a  brace  of  pistols  which  I 
always  kept  loaded  and  ready  for  an  emergency 
were  locked  securely  in  my  chest.  My  hanger, 
none  of  your  dandified  French  rapiers  but  a 
stout  ship's  cutlass,  ground  to  a  razor's  edge, 
heavy  enough  to  paralyze  any  arm  but  one 
muscled  like  mine,  hung  at  the  side  of  my  berth. 
It  was  the  same  with  which  I  had  marked  the 
duke. 

The  cabin  door  was  a  strong  one.  It  was 
locked  and  barred  without.  I  might  have 
broken  through  it.  I  could  have  done  so  if  I  had 
had  space  enough  in  which  to  run  and  hurl  my- 
self against  it.  I  might  even  have  kicked  it  to 
pieces  with  my  heavy  seaman's  boot.  Certainly 
I  could  easily  have  blown  the  lock  off  with  my 
pistol,  but  any  of  these  endeavors  would  have 
aroused  the  ship. 

To  let  the  sleeping  dogs  lie  when  you  have  no 
109 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

means  of  controlling  them  should  they  awaken, 
I  have  ever  found  to  be  a  good  maxim.  I  had 
one  other  hope.  If  Captain  Matthews  should 
come  to  the  cabin  I  would  appeal  to  him.  For 
the  rest  I  determined  not  to  sleep  that  night. 
Some  strange  foreboding  possessed  me,  such  a 
feeling  a  man  has  when  his  own  hand  is  taken 
from  the  helm  and  no  other  is  near  by  to  grasp  it, 
as  if  the  uncontrolled  ship  must  surely  broach 
to  and  founder. 

We  were  near  the  latitude  and  longitude  of 
the  island  we  were  seeking,  if  indeed  there  were 
such  an  island  as  was  thought  to  be,  and  I 
reasoned  that  the  men  would  argue  that  now 
would  be  a  good  time  for  an  outbreak,  especially 
since  I  was  removed.  Would  it  come  that 
night?  Would  it  come  at  all?  Was  I  mis- 
taken in  the  men? 

I  have  often  wondered  why  women  were  made 
and,  since  they  were  made,  why  men  should  be 
such  fools  about  them — yet  I  would  by  no  means 
unmake  them!  Here  I  was  helpless  just  be- 
cause I  had  snatched  a  kiss  from  one.  Although 
I  had  ever  been  a  decent  man  as  man  goes,  I 
had  ventured  as  far  as  kisses  with  maidens 

no 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

here  and  there  in  this  little  world  around  which 
I  had  gone  so  many  times,  and  none  of  them  had 
ever  taken  it  quite  like  that.  To  be  sure,  none 
of  them  was  like  her.  And  now  that  I  am  in 
the  mood  for  confession,  I  might  as  well  say  that 
I  fully  rejoiced  in  that  kiss.  It  had  not  been 
on  the  cheek  first  but  full  and  fair  on  her  lips, 
and  I  had  held  her  tight  and  drunk  my  fill — no 
not  that,  of  course;  I  could  never  do  that,  but 
still  it  had  been  a  man's  kiss  on  a  maiden's  lips 
fairly  given,  and — 

Well,  whatever  happened,  I  had  the  memory 
of  that  kiss.  She  would  never  forgive  me.  Of 
course,  there  was  absolutely  no  hope  that  she 
would  return  my  suit  even  in  her  poverty.  She 
was  not  for  such  as  I,  and  if  there  was  anything 
in  this  old  buccaneer's  parchment,  if  there  was 
an  island,  if  she  did  get  the  treasure,  why  the 
world  would  be  at  her  feet  again;  and  I,  like 
the  fool  I  was,  was  helping  her  get  it,  to  bring 
that  about.  I  was  mad,  aye,  mad,  with  impo- 
tent helplessness  that  night. 

I  sat  there  in  the  dark,  no  light  being  vouch- 
safed to  me  and  the  lanterns  in  the  outer  cabin 
not  having  been  lighted,  for  a  long  time.  The 

in 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

wind  rose  and  rose.  The  ship  was  pitching 
madly.  My  room  was  on  the  starboard  side  of 
the  cabin  and  presently  I  heard  all  hands  called 
to  reef  the  topsails.  Captain  Matthews  was 
alert  and  ready,  of  course.  Presently  he  put  the 
ship  about  and  with  some  of  the  canvas  off  her 
she  was  steadier.  There  did  not  seem  to  be  any 
especial  danger  in  the  weather  and  for  that  I 
was  thankful. 

I  must  have  dozed.  I  was  awakened  by  the 
last  echoing  of  the  bell  forward.  I  did  n't 
know  what  time  it  was  because  I  did  n't  know 
whether  I  had  heard  it  begin  to  strike,  but  I 
could  count  three  couplets,  which  meant  that  it 
was  eleven  o'clock  at  least.  I  did  n't  know,  of 
course,  that  it  was  eight  bells,  midnight,  until 
after  a  shrill  piping  of  his  whistle  the  long- 
drawn-out  voice  of  the  boatswain  came  to  me 
through  the  low  bulkhead  that  separated  the 
trunk  cabin  from  the  quarter-deck  above  and  the 
'tween  decks  below. 

"A — a — all  the  port  watch!  Show  a  leg, 
lively,  lads!" 

I  could  hear  the  men  of  the  watch  below 
grumbling  and  cursing  as  they  turned  out 

112 


PUNISHED  FOR  PRESUMPTION 

They  had  evidently  been  sent  to  their  hammocks 
after  the  topsails  had  been  reefed  for  a  couple 
of  hours  in.  I  could  also  hear  scraps  of  conver- 
sation as  they  struggled  into  their  jackets  and 
coats. 

"Let  '3  do  it." 

"Now?" 

"Yes!" 

"Shall  we  kill  him?" 

"This  is  the  best  time!" 

"Aye,  aye." 

"The  old  man  's  alone!"  and  so  on. 

What  I  heard  filled  me  with  dismay.  The 
purport  was  plain.  I  picked  up  the  pistol  and 
pointed  it  at  the  lock  in  the  door.  I  had  made 
up  my  mind,  come  what  might,  to  blow  off  the 
lock  and  get  free.  Perhaps  I  could  even  yet 
prevent  and  overawe  them.  Before  I  could 
press  the  trigger,  however,  I  heard  a  call  on  the 
deck  above  me,  a  shot,  a  rush  of  feet,  a  scuffle, 
oaths,  curses,  a  cry  for  help,  a  groan,  a  fall! 


CHAPTER  VII 

WHEREIN  I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

WHAT  dire  misfortune  had  happened  I 
could  well  guess.  Captain  Matthews 
had  been  attacked.  He  had  promptly  shot  one 
of  the  mutineers,  and  thereafter  the  rest  had 
killed  him.  My  next  impulse  was  to  blow  open 
the  lock  of  the  door  as  I  had  intended,  and  rush 
to  avenge  him,  but  wiser  counsel  prevailed  and  I 
did  nothing.  I  am,  I  think,  somewhat  cool- 
headed  in  a  crisis,  and  surely  this  was  one.  I 
could  wait.  A  loaded  pistol  was  better  than  an 
empty  one,  and  to  deal  with  me  they  would  have 
to  come  to  me  for  whatsoever  purpose  they  might 
entertain,  either  to  murder  me  or  to  release  me. 
In  either  event  I  could  do  more  than  if  I  rushed 
headlong  into  the  fray  now.  I  could  not  help 
poor  Captain  Matthews.  I  was  sure  that  what- 
ever fell  purpose  they  might  entertain  for  my 
little  mistress  would  be  in  abeyance  until  they 
had  settled  with  me.  I  flattered  myself  that  I 

114 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

was  too  important  to  be  disregarded  by  the  mu- 
tineers. Therefore,  I  carefully  looked  to  my 
weapons,  seeing  to  the  priming  and  slipping  an 
additional  bullet  in  the  barrel.  After  that  I 
stood  by  the  door,  weapon  in  hand,  grimly  ready 
for  the  murderous  mutineers. 

I  waited  with  every  nerve  strained  to  the  ut- 
most. I  also  listened  most  anxiously  for  the 
opening  of  the  door  of  the  after  cabin  which  was 
her  own,  but  she  must  have  been  in  a  sound  sleep, 
indeed,  for  the  door  did  not  open.  Evidently 
she  had  heard  nothing,  mercifully  she  had  not 
been  awakened.  After  all,  if  she  had  come  into 
the  main  cabin  I  think  I  must  have  come  out 
also,  one  way  or  another;  but  so  long  as  she  slept, 
and  so  long  as  I  could  force  the  door  when  I 
wished,  I  waited.  It  was  not  an  easy  task,  but  I 
judged  it  best. 

•Fortunately,  I  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  in  less 
time  by  far  than  I  have  taken  to  tell  it,  the  hatch 
was  opened  and  a  number  of  heavy-booted  men 
clattered  down  the  companionway.  The  cabin 
steward,  of  course,  knew  the  arrangement  of  the 
after  part  of  the  ship  and  he  brought  them 
straight  to  my  door.  The  key  was  in  the  lock 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

outside  and  I  could  hear  them  turn  it.  I  loos- 
ened my  sword  which  I  had  slung  by  its  belt 
around  my  waist,  grasped  my  two  pistols  more 
firmly,  set  my  back  against  the  side  of  the  ship 
and  made  ready  for  whatever  came. 

The  door  was  pushed  open  abruptly  and  I 
saw  the  cabin  was  crowded  with  men.  At  least 
half  the  crew  was  assembled  there,  and  it  was 
a  little  cabin,  The  Rose  of  Devon  being  but  a 
small  ship.  The  rest,  I  guessed,  were  on  watch. 
I  could  not  see  the  boatswain,  evidently  he  had 
the  deck.  The  vessel  could  not  be  left  un- 
watched  on  such  a  night  as  this  and  in  such  a 
sea,  and  he  was  the  fittest  man  to  take  charge 
of  her.  The  steward  had  lighted  both  the  cabin 
lanterns,  several  of  the  men  carried  hand  lan- 
terns which  they  had  brought  from  the  forepeak. 
There  was  plenty  of  illumination  to  show  their 
villainous  faces. 

They  were  surprised  to  find  me  so  prepared 
and  I  gave  them  no  time  to  recover. 

"The  first  man,"  I  hissed  out,  raising  my  fire- 
arms and  leveling  them  at  the  group,  "that  tries 
to  enter  this  berth  without  my  permission  gets 
a  bullet  through  him!" 

116 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

"We  mean  you  no  harm,  sir,"  gruffly  spoke 
out  one  who  seemed  to  be  a  ringleader,  a  man 
rated  as  boatswain's  mate,  whose  name  was 
Glibby. 

"What  are  you  doing  here,"  I  asked,  "in  the 
cabin  at  this  time  of  night?" 

"Softly,  softly,  sir,"  replied  Glibby,  "we're 
here  to  arsk  questions,  not  to  answer  'em." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  I  cried. 

"We  're  masters  of  the  ship." 

"Captain  Matthews?" 

"He  '11  cap'n  no  more  ships  on  this  or  any 
other  seas,"  answered  Glibby  with  truculent 
emphasis. 

Now  it  rose  in  my  mind  to  shoot  him  then 
and  there,  murderous  brute  that  he  was — if  I 
had  been  alone  perhaps  I  would  have  done  it 
without  reckoning  the  consequences  to  myself, 
but  I  had  another  to  think  of.  Unless  craft 
stood  me  in  good  stead  her  case  was  hopeless. 
And  bad  as  Glibby  was,  Pimball  was  the  chief 
villain.  No,  I  decided,  nothing  much  would  be 
gained  by  killing  the  boatswain's  mate  when  the 
boatswain  lived.  I  trust  no  man  will  think  me  a 
traitor  or  craven  for  what  I  said  next.  The  idea 

117 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

came  to  me  on  the  instant  and  it  seemed  I  could 
do  no  better  than  adopt  it.  God  forgive  me  if 
it  was  wrong. 

"Curse  him!"  I  broke  out  with  well  simulated 
heat,  "serves  him  right.  He  disrates  me  and 
locks  me  up  here  just  for  stealing  a  kiss  from  a 
maid,  and — " 

"Spoke  like  a  man  of  spirit,  Mister  Hamp- 
don,"  cried  Glibby,  greatly  pleased  evidently. 
"What  did  I  tell  ye,  mates?  He  's  with  us." 

"With  you,"  said  I,  carelessly  pointing  my 
weapons  downward  but  taking  good  care  to  keep 
them  ready,  KI  am  with  you,  all  right.  What 
do  you  propose?  I  am  sick  of  the  treatment  I 
received,  and — " 

"We  want  that  7ere  treasure  for  ourselves." 

"And  you  shall  have  it,  provided  I  get  my 
share  with  the  other  men,"  I  answered,  scarcely 
startled  by  their  words,  for  this  I  had  expected. 

"We  '11  share  an'  share  alike  in  everything," 
answered  Glibby.  "Am  I  right,  mates?" 

"Right  you  are,"  came  from  the  deep  voices 
of  the  men. 

"Aye,"  said  Glibby,  "ship  an'  treasure,  an' — 
er — "  with  a  frightful  leer — "woman!" 

118 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

God!  How  I  longed  to  clutch  him  by  his 
throat  and  choke  him!  My  temper  rose  again, 
but  this  time,  as  before,  I  managed  to  keep  it 
down  though  with  immense  difficulty,  as  you 
may  suspect. 

"Come  out  into  the  cabin,  Mr.  Hampdon," 
said  Glibby  with  a  certain  complacent  civility 
in  his  manner  which  he  doubtless  meant  to  be 
engaging,  but  for  which  I  hated  him  the  more 
if  possible,  "an*  we  '11  talk  it  over." 

"Wait,"  said  I.  "Who  is  in  command  of 
you?" 

"Why,  Mr.  Pimball,  the  bo's'n,  he'll  be  in 
charge  of  the  ship,"  answered  Glibby. 

"Very  good,"  I  said,  "I  must  talk  with  him 
about  the  future.  Do  you  go  on  deck,  Glibby, 
and  send  Pimball  below  and  he  and  I  with  the 
rest  of  you  will  soon  settle  this  matter." 

"All  right,"  answered  the  boatswain's  mate, 
turning  to  the  companionway.  "Pimball  can 
talk,  him  an7  you  can  come  to  terms,  I  make  no 
doubt." 

Now  I  could  n't  allow  myself  to  hesitate  for 
the  thousandth  part  of  a  second.  They  say  when 
a  woman  hesitates  she  is  lost,  but  in  a  situation 

119 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

like  mine  the  man  who  hesitated  would  have 
been  lost,  too.  Ostentatiously  again  I  shoved 
one  pistol  into  the  belt  that  hung  at  my  right 
side,  the  other  I  dropped  carelessly  into  the 
pocket  of  my  coat,  and  as  Glibby  clattered  up 
the  ladder,  I  walked  fearlessly,  to  all  appear- 
ances, out  of  the  berth  and  into  the  cabin,  the 
men  giving  back  respectfully  enough  to  leave 
me  gangway. 

"Now  what  is  it  that  you  propose,  Master 
Bo's'n?"  I  began,  sitting  down  at  the  cabin 
table,  while  the  rest  ranged  themselves  about  it, 
some  standing,  some  sitting  on  the  transoms  at 
the  sides,  as  Pimball  came  lumbering  down  into 
the  cabin. 

For  a  second  he  was  nearer  death  than  ever 
before  in  his  life,  or  ever  after  but  once,  as  you 
shall  see,  but  prudence  as  before  held  my  itching 
hand. 

"We  know,"  began  Pimball  insolently  with- 
out further  preliminaries,  "that  this  ship  's  cous- 
in' for  treasure.  We  know  all  we  '11  git  out  of 
the  cruise  is  what  we  signed  for  an*  nothin'  more. 
We  Ve  made  a  good  guess  that  the  island  lays 
hereabouts,  an'  we  mean  to  have  more  'n  our 

120 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

wage.  We  're  goin'  to  have  our  share  of  what- 
ever 's  found  that  we  're  after." 

"So  you  shall,"  I  said,  "I  'm  with  you  in  that. 
I  want  something  more  than  my  wages,  too." 

"What 's  this  woman,  anyway?"  broke  out  an- 
other. "Why  should  she  git  it  all?  She's  a 
mere  girl." 

"You  have  said  right,  mate,  who  and  why  in- 
deed?" I  answered  smoothly,  marking  him  down 
for  my  vengeance  when  my  turn  came.  "Now 
what  are  your  plans?" 

"We  want  that  'ere  map  or  chart  that  you  Ve 
been  seed  readin'  in  your  cabin,"  said  Pimball. 

Now  it  happened  that  I  was  the  keeper  of 
that  parchment  and  of  the  little  stone  god.  She 
had  appointed  me  their  custodian.  No  one  had 
sought  to  steal  them,  but  I  kept  the  chart  ever 
on  my  person,  and  the  idol  in  a  locked  drawer 
in  my  berth.  I  did  n't  know  as  to  the  value  of 
the  chart;  it  might  be  immensely  worth  while, 
it  might  not.  At  any  rate,  it  was  in  a  little  bag 
around  my  neck.  I  reached  down,  pulled  out 
the  bag,  took  the  torn  parchment  from  it,  and 
threw  the  two  halves  on  the  table.  There  was 
not  the  least  use  in  my  pretending  ignorance  or 

121 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

in  refusing  to  give  it  up.  They  could  kill  me 
and  take  it  any  way. 

"There,"  said  I  coolly,  "  you  have  it." 

Pimball  picked  it  up  and  looked  at  it  search- 
ingly,  matching  the  halves  and  scrutinizing  it 
dubiously. 

"I  can  make  but  little  out  of  it,"  he  said, 
staring  hard  at  it,  and  scratching  his  head,  and 
I  doubted  if  the  rascal  could  read  a  line  for  all 
his  assumption  of  knowledge. 

"You  can  at  least  see  the  latitude  and  longitude 
on  it  in  the  upper  corner,  can't  you?"  I  asked, 
hardly  suppressing  my  contempt  for  the  man. 

"Aye,  that 's  plain  enough,"  he  answered,  his 
face  lighting  a  little  as  he  laid  the  chart  down 
on  the  table  so  that  the  others  might  see. 

"And  you  see  that  little  wavy  line  that  runs 
up  from  the  lagoon  over  the  top  of  what  looks 
like  a  wall  to  an  opening  in  the  side?"  I  con- 
tinued, determining  suddenly  to  inflame  their 
minds  with  the  treasure  so  that  they  would  give 
less  heed  to  other  things  more  important  to  me. 

"Yes,  I  can  make  that  out,  too." 

"You  see  that  little  mark  there?" 

Pimball  turned  around  and  faced  the  others 
122 


"The  treasure  is  thereabouts." 
Page  1  22  The  Island  of  the  Stairs 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

crowding  about  him  in  great  and  growing 
excitement. 

"Here,  lights  here,"  he  growled. 

The  men  nearest  him  shoved  forward  with 
their  lanterns,  illuminating  the  torn  sheepskin 
as  they  crowded  around,  and  bent  over  the 
table,  as  I  drew  back  to  give  them  room. 

"Aye,  I  can  make  that  out,  too." 

"By — "  burst  out  one  hoarsely,  "that's  the 
spot." 

"What  does  it  mean?"  the  boatswain  asked 
after  a  long  stare. 

"It  means,  if  there  is  any  truth  in  it,  that  the 
treasure  is  thereabouts." 

"What  treasure?" 

"The  plunder  of  a  Spanish  galleon." 

"An'  how  did  it  git  on  the  island?" 

"It  was  buried  in  that  cave  there  a  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago  by  one  Philip  Wilberforce, 
an  English  buccaneer." 

"And  how  come  this  girl  by  news  of  it?" 

"The  story  goes  that  this  Wilberforce  was  one 
of  her  forebears.  His  ship  was  wrecked  and 
finally  he  alone  survived.  He  escaped,  was 
picked  up  and  brought  back  to  England  with 

123 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

nothing  but  the  clothes  he  wore  and  this  parch- 
ment in  a  bag  round  his  neck.  With  all  that  he 
had  gone  through  he  lost  his  mind  for  a  space. 
He  recovered  before  he  died  enough  to  tell  some 
story.  His  sons  quarreled.  The  story,  with  one 
half  of  the  parchment,  went  to  one  branch  of  the 
family  and  the  other,  with  the  other  half,  to  an- 
other. They  never  got  together  again  until  her 
father  and  mother,  strangely  enough  the  last  sur- 
vivors of  the  two  branches  of  the  family  which 
had  been  so  long  separated,  came  together  by 
marriage,  and  after  their  death  she  pieced  out 
the  secret." 

I  told  them  the  exact  truth  as  you  see.  How 
much  of  it  they  understood  I  could  not  tell. 
Probably  but  little,  yet  the  idea  of  the  treasure 
was  real  enough  undoubtedly  and  my  glib  way 
of  rehearsing  the  story  evidently  made  a  great 
impression  on  them. 

"Is  that  all?"  asked  Pimball,  as  I  stopped  for 
breath. 

"All  that  I  know." 

"And  you  think  there  is  treasure  there?" 

Now  of  late  I  had  changed  my  mind,  why  I 
know  not,  but  I  had;  yet  it  would  not  do  to 

124 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

tell  them  that,  for  I  wanted  so  to  fill  their  mind 
with  gold  as  to  leave  no  place  for  woman. 

"I  am  sure  of  it,"  I  answered  vehemently — 
"gold,  silver,  jewels,  God  knows  what,  every- 
thing to  make  us  rich  forever." 

"And  what  do  you  reckon  the  value  of  it  all?" 

"Oh,  several  millions  of  pounds,"  I  answered 
lightly  as  if  the  treasure  was  so  great  that  a 
million  more  or  less  was  of  no  moment. 

To  the  end  of  my  life  I  shall  never  forget  the 
gleaming  of  their  eyes,  the  covetousness  in  their 
faces  and  their  bearing,  the  tense  silence  broken 
only  by  their  deep  breathing,  the  vulgar  passion 
for  greed  that  suddenly  filled  the  little  cabin. 

"Hurrah!"  cried  out  one  old  seaman  suddenly, 
and  the  cabin  on  the  instant  was  filled  with  wild 
cries,  bestial,  brutal  shouts. 

As  the  sound  partially  died  away,  I  Heard  the 
door  back  of  me  open.  Now  I  had  purposely 
so  placed  myself  as  to  be  between  the  crowd  and 
the  door.  The  door  was  opened  but  a  little 
way.  I  was  conscious  that  my  lady  was  at  last 
awake  and  listening. 

"You  're  the  only  navigator  among  us,  Mr. 
Hampdon,"  began  Pimball,  smoothly  enough, 

125 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

after  the  men  got  measurably  quiet  again,  "an 
if  you  're  really  with  us,  you  shall  sail  the  ship 
there  to  that  island.  We  '11  git  the  treasure 
aboard,  sail  away  an'  sink  her  on  the  South 
American  coast,  an'  then  every  man  for  himself 
with  all  he  can  carry." 

"Am  I  to  be  captain?"  I  asked. 

"There  '11  be  no  cap'n,  every  man  for  hisself, 
I  say,  but  me  an'  my  mate,  Glibby,  will  take  the 
watches  in  turn.  You  '11  navigate  the  ship  an' 
whatever  is  necessary  for  our  safety  we  '11  do  at 
your  order.  Is  it  understood?"  he  went  on  with 
a  manner  that  was  meant  to  be  ingratiating. 

"Yes,"  answered  I  promptly,  "but  under  one 
condition." 

"We  makes  no  conditions  but  what  pleases 
us,"  said  Pimball  darkly.  "We're  masters  of 
the  ship,  remember,  an'  this  is  our  last  word." 

"It  is  not  mine,"  said  I  resolutely,  yet  without 
heat,  for  I  had  yet  the  hardest  part  of  the  bargain 
to  drive  and  I  must  command  myself  if  I  were 
to  command  them. 

"Well,  it 's  got  to  be,"  continued  Pimball  witK 
vicious  menace,  starting  toward  me  with  the 
marlinspike  he  carried  upraised,  while  others 

126 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

drew  their  sheath  knives  evidently  prepared  to 
back  up  their  leader. 

"Now,  my  friends,"  said  I,  coolly,  "we  might 
just  as  well  understand  each  other.  You  can 
kill  me  if  you  want  to,  it  would  be  easy  enough, 
but  when  you  have  killed  me  you  have  killed 
your  last  chance  at  the  treasure.  You  don't 
know  what  latitude  or  longitude  we  are  in  now, 
there  is  not  one  of  you  that  knows  enough  to 
take  a  sight  or  to  sail  the  ship  to  the  island. 
You  are  completely  helpless  without  me.  My 
life  means  the  difference  between  treasure  and 
no  treasure  to  you.  You  are  all  smart  enough  to 
see  that." 

"He  speaks  right,"  said  an  old  seaman  at  the 
back  of  the  crowd. 

"There  stands  a  man  of  sense,"  said  I,  "there- 
fore you  will  hear  my  conditions  and  accede  to 
them." 

"Heave  ahead,"  said  Pimball  roughly  enough, 
evidently  not  liking  the  situation  but  failing  ut- 
terly to  see  how  it  could  be  amended  since  I 
completely  held  the  whip  hand  of  them  all. 

"What  I  stipulate  is  very  simple.  First  of 
all,  I  am  to  have  my  full  and  equal  share  of  the 

127 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

treasure  with  the  rest.  I  am  to  be  treated  ex- 
actly like  the  others  in  the  division,  and  my  life 
and  liberty,  which  are  just  as  valuable  to  me  as 
yours  to  any  of  you,  are  to  be  granted  me,  as 
I  grant  those  of  others." 

"Why,  we  told  you  that  in  the  first  place," 
growled  out  the  boatswain,  "if  that 's  all  you  Ve 
got  to  say — " 

"But  it  is  n't." 

"What  else?" 

"The  woman." 

"Ah,  the  woman,"  said  Pimball  slowly. 

"What  had  you  proposed  to  do  with  her?"  I 
asked. 

"Why — er  I — er,"  the  man  faltered,  he  ac- 
tually did  not  dare  to  say  what  had  been  in  his 
mind,  and  I  Ve  no  doubt  that  my  pistol  never 
looked  bigger  than  it  did  when  I  quietly  laid  my 
hand  on  its  butt. 

It  was  probable  that  the  others  had  not  as  yet 
decided  what  was  to  be  done  with  her,  whatever 
Pimball  may  have  determined  upon.  I  took  ad- 
vantage of  their  hesitation  and  pushed  the  matter 
to  a  speedy  conclusion. 

"Well,"  I  said  quickly,  "I  want  her  for  my- 
128 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

self."  Did  I  hear  a  groan  in  the  cabin  back  of 
me?  If  I  did,  I  could  not  afford  to  hesitate,  I 
could  not  let  them  hear.  "You  saw  how  she 
treated  me,"  I  cried,  raising  my  voice  and  bang- 
ing on  the  table  with  my  fist;  "she  struck  me, 
she  had  me  imprisoned.  I  want  her  to  be  given 
over  to  me  alone." 

"But — "  began  Pimball,  not  relishing  the 
abandonment  of  this  prize  which  he  had  evi- 
dently marked  for  his  own. 

"I  tell  you  what  it  is,  mates,"  said  I,  disregard- 
ing him  and  addressing  the  rest  directly,  "I  am 
a  poor  man  and  the  treasure,  or  my  share  of  it, 
means  a  great  deal  to  me,  but  revenge  means 
much  more.  You  give  the  woman  to  me  and  I 
will  divide  my  share  of  the  treasure  among  the 


crew." 


"Well,"  began  Pimball  uncertainly,  but  the 
sentiment  of  the  crew  under  this  appeal  to  their 
greed  was  palpably  against  him. 

"Don't  be  a  fool,  man,"  cried  the  sailor  who 
had  spoken  before.  "Give  the  lad  the  wench. 
When  we  git  the  treasure  we  can  buy  all  the 
women  we  need." 

"Aye,  let  him  have  her!"  urged  a  second. 
129 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"He  '11  bring  her  to  her  knees,"  said  a  third. 

"This  very  night,"  added  a  fourth  with  a  hid- 
eous leer  and  a  horrible  laugh. 

"Stop  it,"  I  cried,  doubling  my  fist, — this  was 
no  assumed  rage  either,  for  my  blood  was  boil- 
ing and  I  could  scarce  restrain  myself  longer. 
"This  is  my  own  affair." 

The  men  fell  back.  They  forgot  for  the  mo- 
ment their  advantage  in  numbers. 

"Well,  that  is  agreed  at  last,"  said  Pimball 
reluctantly  enough,  "you  takes  the  woman,  we 
takes  the  treasure." 

"Agreed,"  said  I. 

"Is  that  right,  mates?"  he  asked  of  the  rest. 

"Right  O,"  was  the  answer. 

"It 's  all  settled  then,"  said  I,  "but  no—" 

"Bring  out  the  gal  then  an'  let's  see  her," 
suddenly  began  one  of  the  men,  stepping 
forward. 

I  don't  know  whether  I  could  have  controlled 
myself  any  further  or  not.  I  rose  to  my  feet,  my 
hand  clutching  the  pistol.  The  lights  danced 
before  my  eyes  I  was  so  furiously  angered.  I 
was  about  to  raise  my  arm  when  she  saved  me. 
The  door  back  of  me  was  thrown  open  wide  and 

130 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

she  stepped  out  into  the  cabin.  How  I  thrilled 
to  see  her,  erect,  fearless,  more  beautiful  than 
ever.  She  had  thrown  some  sort  of  a  robe  about 
her,  and  thrust  her  bare  feet  into  slippers.  She 
had  gathered  the  cloak  over  her  breast  with  one 
hand.  Her  hair  was  disheveled,  but  how  beauti- 
ful she  appeared.  The  men  recoiled  and  I 
stepped  back  myself. 

"I  have  heard  all,"  she  cried,  "you  murderous 
villains,  to  have  killed  my  captain  and  seized  my 
ship,  and  you — you — "  she  turned  to  me,  "to 
have  bargained  for  me  and  to  have  bought  me 
like  an  animal,  a  horse,  a  dog —  Oh,  if  I  had  a 
weapon  1" 

My  pistol  was  still  in  my  hand  and  she  made 
a  clutch  at  it,  but  I  was  too  quick  for  her.  I 
caught  her  by  the  wrist.  The  spell  she  had  cast 
upon  us  by  her  sudden  entrance,  her  beautiful 
presence,  by  her  proud,  brave  demeanor  was 
broken  by  that  touch.  The  men  laughed.  God, 
the  remembrance  of  that  laugh  makes  my  blood 
boil  even  now. 

"I  wish  you  joy  of  her,"  said  one. 

"You  '11  have  a  time  tamin'  her,"  cried  a 
second. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"Ah,  you  think  so,"  I  cried,  determining  to 
carry  out  the  deception  to  the  bitter  end  and  to 
leave  no  chance  for  the  least  suspicion  to  arise. 
I  seized  her  by  the  shoulders,  secretly  praying 
God  to  forgive  me  for  what  I  was  about  to  do, 
and  shook  her  violently  back  and  forth.  It  was 
easy  enough.  A  baby  in  my  hands  would  not 
have  been  more  helpless.  "Silence,  you  fools," 
I  cried  as  the  men  began  to  laugh  again,  and 
then  to  her,  "You  belong  to  me,  woman.  Do 
you  hear?  I  've  bought  you.  I  am  your  master. 
Get  back  into  your  cabin.  I  will  have  speech 
with  you  later."  Helpless,  amazed,  petrified 
with  terror,  she  could  do  nothing.  I  thrust  her 
into  the  cabin,  shut  the  door  and  faced  the  men. 
"Will  you  gentlemen  leave  me  alone  to  tame 
this  she  devil  for  a  little  while,  and  I  will  be  on 
deck  presently,"  I  panted  out. 

"Very  well,"  said  Pimball,  "but  before  we 
goes — "  he  pointed  to  a  heavy  bottle  in  the  rack, 
"I  proposes  that  we  drinks  the  health  of  the  new 
navigator  an'  his  lady." 

"Right  you  are,"  said  I,  making  the  best  of 
that  situation. 

I  reached  for  the  glasses  that  were  in  the  rack 
132 


I  BARGAIN  FOR  A  WOMAN 

and  poured  out  a  stiff  dram  for  each  man  and 
added  mighty  little  water  to  it.  The  room  was 
soon  filled  with  mocking,  jeering  toasts  to  my 
health  and  happiness.  I  drank  with  them.  I 
have  ever  believed  that  when  you  attempt  a 
thing  it  is  better  to  give  your  whole  heart  to  it, 
or  you  had  better  not  try  at  all,  and  I  did  not 
propose  to  spoil  the  game  that  had  progressed 
successfully  so  far,  by  not  joining  in.  So  I  drank 
with  the  others  although  I  would  rather  have 
swallowed  poison.  They  went  out  one  by  one, 
Pimball  last. 

"You'll  play  fair  with  us,  Mr.  Hampdon," 
he  said  earnestly  and  suspiciously,  too,  "or — " 

"You  will  play  fair  with  me,  or — "  I  retorted. 

"There  's  my  hand  on  it,"  he  interrupted  and 
I  took  it,  aye  and  shook  it. 

"I  wish  you  joy  of  your  woman,"  he  sneered. 

"You  will  see  how  tame  she  is  tomorrow,"  I 
laughed,  as  he  climbed  up  the  ladder  and  soon 
disappeared. 

My  first  instinct  was  to  draw  the  hatch  covers 
and  bolt  them,  but  I  did  n't  dare.  In  fact,  Pim- 
ball himself  kicked  them  together.  I  turned  to 
the  shut  door  of  her  cabin.  To  throw  open  the 


door  was  the  work  of  a  minute.  There  she 
stood.  She  had  twisted  some  kind  of  a  rope  out 
of  the  sheets  of  her  berth  which  she  had  hastily 
torn  in  strips.  Her  purpose  was  plain.  She 
had  intended  to  end  her  life  by  hanging  herself 
from  the  hook  in  the  deck  beam  above  to  which 
one  end  of  her  rope  was  secured ;  and  she  would 
have  done  it,  too,  if  I  had  not  come  in  in  the  nick 
of  time. 

I  stared  at  her  for  a  moment  and  then  reached 
forward  and  tore  the  plaited  strands  out  of  her 
hand  and  from  around  her  neck  and  threw  them 
to  the  deck.  It  was  evidence  to  me  of  the  deep- 
ness of  her  despair  that  she  had  attempted  such  a 
thing.  It  showed  me  for  one  thing  the  excel- 
lence of  my  acting  for  I  could  n't  have  conceived 
that  she  would  try  to  do  away  with  herself  if  she 
had  jhe  slightest  suspicion  that  I  was  a  true  man 
still.  I  had  convinced  even  her  of  my  villainy 
I  realized  with  a  sudden  pang. 


134 


CHAPTER  VIII 

WHEREIN    I    MAKE   ALL   CLEAR   TO   MY   LITTLE 
MISTRESS 

HARD  as  I  stared  at  her,  the  glance  that 
she  shot  back  at  me  matched  my  own. 
I  never  want  to  see  such  loathing,  such  con- 
tempt, such  scorn  on  a  human  countenance 
again — much  less  on  her  sweet  face.  It  cut  me 
to  the  heart.  Conscious  of  my  own  innocence 
of  wrong  and  unaware  of  the  excellence  of  my 
acting,  I  could  not  understand  it  for  a  moment. 
That  she  had  so  far  believed  my  own  words 
against  her  knowledge  of  my  character  and  the 
memory  of  my  long,  devoted,  faithful  service, 
confounded  me.  I  was  appalled,  paralyzed  for 
the  time  being.  I  did  n't  know  what  to  say,  how 
to  begin  an  explanation.  I  stood  there  gaping 
like  a  fool.  It  was  she  who  broke  the  silence 
that  was  becoming  insupportable  between  us. 
Come  to  think  of  it,  the  initiative — in  speech  at 
least! — was  invariably  hers. 

135 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"A  moment,"  she  said  wildly,  all  her  feeling 
in  her  voice,  "and  I  had  done  it,  traitor!" 

"Nay,"  I  protested,  "I  am  a  true  man." 

"You  bargained  for  me,  you  bought  me." 

"I  was  not  in  earnest,"  I  started  to  say,  but 
she  interrupted  me  in  a  perfect  tempest  of  out- 
raged feeling. 

"My  God!"  she  burst  out,  "why  didn't  you 
stay  away  a  little  longer  and  I  had  done  it?  You 
villain,  you  vile,  low — " 

But  <at  that  I  found  voice  again,  for  I  was 
getting  angry  myself,  my  temper  naturally  being 
none  the  sweetest,  save  ordinarily  when  she  was 
concerned. 

"Hear  me,"  I  interrupted  in  turn. 

"Not  a  word,"  she  said  imperiously. 

"But  indeed  you  must,"  I  persisted  almost 
roughly,  stepping  within  her  cabin  and  carefully 
closing  the  door  after  me.  "It  is  your  welfare 
alone  that  I  seek.  I  think  you  should  have 
known  that." 

"After  the  insult  on  the  quarter-deck  last  eve- 
ning?" she  asked  cuttingly. 

Now  I  confess  I  had  forgot  that  small  affair 
in  the  graver  matters  that  ensued. 

136 


I  MAKE  ALL  CLEAR 

"Never  mind  that,"  I  began  most  unwisely. 

"Never  mind  it!"  she  cried,  her  face  flaming, 
"I  shall  never  forget  your  insolence  as  long  as 
I  live." 

"Madam,"  said  I,  controlling  myself  again 
but  with  added  difficulty,  "our  concern  is  not 
with  kisses  but  with — " 

"What?" 

"Life  and—" 

I  hesitated. 

"What  else?     Speak  on." 

"Your  honor,"  I  said  slowly,  whereat  she 
Stared  at  my  face,  now  doubtless  stern  enough  in 
all  conscience. 

She  opened  her  mouth  to  speak,  but  I  silenced 
her  with  a  wave  of  my  hand  as  I  found  I  could 
do  on  various  occasions.  I  did  not  wish  to  hear 
further  from  her  then.  What  I  had  to  say  con- 
cerned us  both  so  deeply  that  I  cared  not  what 
she  said  and  perhaps  that  closed  cabin  into  which 
I  had  penetrated  was  the  likeliest  place  for 
privacy  in  the  whole  ship.  I  could  by  no  means 
be  overheard,  so  I  determined  to  speak  freely 
and  in  a  way  not  to  be  misunderstood.  She 
shrank  back  against  the  farther  bulkhead  as  I 

137 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

approached  her.  Her  mouth  opened  to  scream 
evidently,  although  she  must  have  realized  that 
a  call  for  help  would  have  but  added  to  her 
tormentors.  But  I  stopped  her  before  she  made 
a  sound. 

"I  mean  you  no  harm,  can  you  not  see  it?"  I 
began.  "It  was  all  a  play." 

"A  play,"  she  panted,  "the  murder  of  the  cap- 
tain, the  mutiny  of  the  men,  the  seizure  of  the 
ship,  the  giving  up  the  chart,  your  purchase — " 
she  drew  herself  up — by  heaven,  she  was  a  brave 
little  thing — "of  me,"  she  added,  "with  your 
share  of  the  treasure:  was  that  a  play?" 

"Part  of  it,  madam,"  I  answered,  stung  by  her 
scorn  and  stunned  again  by  the  thought  that  she 
could  ever  have  believed  me  capable  of  such 
baseness,  who  had  loved  her,  worshiped  her, 
and — but  for  that  fleeting  moment  when  I  had 
kissed  her — had  ever  treated  her  with  such 
humble  consideration  and  respect. 

"Part  of  it,"  she  repeated,  "what  part?" 

"My  part." 

"Your  part?" 

"I  am  your  humble  servant  now  as  ever,"  I 
said  emphatically. 

138 


I  MAKE  ALL  CLEAR 

"My  master,  isn't  it,  since  you  bought  me?" 

"God  forbid,  I  bought  not  you." 

"What  then?" 

"The  right  to  live  and  serve  you,  the  right  for 
you  to  live  unharmed,  and — " 

"And  what?" 

"And  be  served  by  me  with  no  thought  but  for 
your  safety  and  happiness." 

She  stared  at  me  for  some  moments  in  deep 
perturbation  and  perplexity,  her  brow  furrowed. 
I  had  wit  enough  to  be  silent  and  let  the  speech 
work. 

"Have  I  wronged  you?"  she  asked  falteringly 
at  last. 

"As  to  that,  madam,"  I  returned  firmly — oh, 
I  yearned  to  take  her  in  my  arms,  to  press  her  to 
my  heart,  to  call  her  sweet  names,  but  I  did  not 
dare — "you  yourself  must  be  the  judge.  But  if 
you  will  think  a  moment  you  will  see  that  I  had 
no  other  course.  What  would  your  fate  have 
been,  left  to  that  murderous  rabble  on  the  deck 
yonder?" 

"I  could  have  died,"  she  faltered. 

"Aye,  of  course,  but  not  until  after  they  had 
done  with  you,"  I  said  with  a  grim  plainness 

139 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

of  speech,  seeing  no  other  way  to  convince 
her,  and  pressing  home  my  slight  advantage 
accordingly. 

She  shuddered  as  my  meaning  became  clear 
to  her. 

"You  should  have  known  me  better,"  I  con- 
tinued a  little  reproachfully,  "than  to  have 
suspected— 

"But  your  insult  to  me  this  very  night  on  the 
quarter-deck  and  your  indifference  to  it  a  mo- 
ment ago!" 

Her  cheek  flushed  at  the  thought  of  it  in  spite 
of  herself,  and  mine  flushed,  too,  or  it  would 
have  colored  had  it  been  less  brown,  I  have  no 
doubt. 

"And  is  a  man  to  be  condemned  beyond  par- 
don who  has  served  you  truly,  because  he 
snatches  a  kiss  in  a  moment  of  madness  and  for- 
gets it  when  your  life  and  honor  tremble  in  the 
balance?" 

"I  did  not  think  even  you  could  forget  that — 
ever,"  she  said  and  I  could  not  fathom  exactly 
her  purpose  in  that  remark. 

Did  she  not  want  me  to  forget  it?  Or  would 
she  have  me  remember  it?  But  this  seemed  like 

140 


I  MAKE  ALL  CLEAR 

trifling.     I  turned  away  bitterly,  but  she  caught 
me  by  the  arm  instantly. 

"What  are  you  about  to  do?"  she  began. 
"Don't  abandon  me  now.  I  believe  in  you.  I 
see  now  why  you  did  it.  It  was  to  save  me  and 
help  me.  What  would  I  do,  what  could  I  do, 
without  you?  I  am — "  she  hesitated,  it  was  hard 
for  her  proud  spirit,  and  coming  nearer  faltered 
out  a  few  broken  words.  "I  am  sorry,"  she 
finished  humbly,  with  downcast  head. 

"Say  no  more,"  I  answered,  looking  down  at 
the  little  hand  on  my  sleeve,  my  soul  thrilling  to 
her  words  and  touch.  "No  harm  shall  come  to 
you  save  over  my  dead  body." 

"I  believe  it." 

"But  that  is  not  enough  for  me  to  promise.  I 
mean  to  extricate  you  from  this  peril,  to  save 
your  life  if  I  can,  your  honor  in  any  case." 

"But  how?" 

"If  the  worst  came  I  would  kill  you  with  my 
own  hands  rather  than  let  you  fall  into  theirs." 

"I  would  welcome  death  itself  rather  than 
that,"  she  answered  proudly. 

"I  believe  it  will  not  come  to  that,"  I  said.  "I 
hope  to  save  you  otherwise." 

141 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"But  is  it  possible?" 

"I  think  so,  I  pray  so." 

"You  are  but  one  against  so  many." 

"I  have  one  ally  in  the  ship,  you  forget,"  said 
I,  smiling  at  her,  relieved  and  thankful  to  see 
her  in  her  right  mind  again  and  awake  to  the 
truth  and  to  my  real  feeling  toward  her. 

"And  that  is—" 

"Yourself." 

"A  feeble  helper,"  she  rejoined,  smiling  in 
turn. 

"We  shall  see." 

"And  will  you  forgive  me  for  having  mis- 
judged you?"  she  asked  pleadingly. 

"Gladly." 

"My  hand  on  it  then,"  she  said,  holding  out 
her  little  palm,  which  I  swallowed  up  in  my 
large  one  on  the  instant,  standing  silent  as  usual, 
holding  it  the  while. 

"And  are  you  not  sorry  that  you — you — kissed 
me?"  she  faltered  at  last. 

"No,"  I  answered  bluntly  enough — being  a 
plain  man  I  have  always  felt  compelled  to  tell 
the  truth — except  perhaps  when  her  interests 
were  at  stake — "I  am  not  sorry," — but  as  she 

142 


I  MAKE  ALL  CLEAR 

swiftly  tried  to  draw  her  hand  away  I  added,  "I 
promise  you  I  won't  do  it  again,  and  you  will 
forgive  me,  I  know.  Meanwhile,  we  have  much 
to  plan,  we  may  be  interrupted  any  time,  and  we 
had  best  get  at  it." 

I  released  her  hand  and  she  faced  me  calmly 
enough. 

"You  don't  know  how  much  safer  I  feel  when 
I  have  you  to  depend  upon,"  she  said. 

How  my  heart  leaped  at  that  assurance  for  I 
saw  by  it  that  she  had  indeed  forgiven  me. 

"I  shall  leave  everything  to  you,  Master 
Hampdon,"  she  continued.  "Do  you  tell  me 
what  to  do  and  I  will  do  it." 

"I  know  you  will.  I  could  not  ask  a  braver, 
better  second,"  I  answered  heartily. 

At  that  moment  I  heard  a  step  on  the  ladder. 
Somebody  was  coming.  Quick  as  a  flash  I 
realized  the  part  we  had  to  play  in  public.  I 
balled  my  fist  and  struck  the  bulkhead  savagely. 
I  suppose  I  must  have  changed  my  expression  as 
well  for  in  her  surprise,  she  screamed  faintly. 

"That's  it,"  I  whispered,  "cry  out  again, 
but  louder,  louder." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  asked  hurriedly, 

143 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

with    uncomprehending    amazement — in    this 
crisis  my  wits  working  quicker  than  hers. 

"There  is  somebody  outside.  We  have  a  part 
to  play.  I  am  abusing  you  and  you  are  fighting 
for  your  life,"  I  whispered  swiftly,  then  louder, 
fairly  shouting  at  her,  indeed,  I  cried  out,  "Down 
on  your  knees,  wench.  You  will  find  that  you 
have  met  your  master  now." 

I  made  some  sound  of  scuffling  and  she  did 
indeed  scream  loudly.  In  the  midst  of  the  com- 
motion the  door  was  tried,  but  fortunately  I  had 
turned  the  key. 

"Who  's  there?"  I  shouted,  and  to  my  lady 
whispered,  "beg  for  help,  loudly." 

Entering  into  the  spirit  of  the  game  and  smil- 
ing at  me  since  there  was  none  but  me  to  see, 
albeit  she  infused  strange  terror  in  her  voice  so 
that  I  was  amazed  myself,  she  cried  at  the  top 
of  her  voice, 

"Help  I     Help!" 

I  in  turn  called  louder  yet. 

"Silence  woman!"  and  struck  the  bulkhead 
again. 

Finally  turning  to  the  door  I  opened  it  a  bit 
and  there  stood  one  of  the  younger  seamen. 

144 


I  MAKE  ALL  CLEAR' 

"What  want  you?"  I  began  sternly  and  storm- 
ily.  "I  don't  care  to  be  disturbed  just  now." 

"Well,  from  the  sound  of  your  love  makin'/' 
answered  the  sailor  insolently,  *>"!  >  should  n't 
judge  that  you  was  gittin'  any  for-ader." 

And  here  my  little  mistress  showed  her  clever- 
ness. She  had  pulled  her  hair  around  her  face 
and  somewhat  disarranged  her  dress.  She 
sprang  to  the  door  and  striving  to  pass  my  out- 
stretched arm,  pathetically  begged  the  sea- 
man's assistance  from  this  great  brute,  meaning 
myself !  It  was  well  done  and  deceived  the  man 
completely. 

"I  can't  help  you,"  he  said.  "I  M  like  to,  Mis- 
tress, but  yon  man  's  bought  you  with  his  share 
of  the  treasure  an'  a  bargain  's  a  bargain.  We 
must  e'en  stick  to  it,  though,  as  I  live,  I  think 
you  worth  it,"  he  leered  out  at  her. 

"You  see,"  said  I  speaking  harshly  to  her  and 
thrusting  her  with  seeming  violence  away  from 
the  door,  "get  back  into  your  corner,  curse  you!" 
And  then  to  the  man,  I  said,  "Now  what 's  the 
matter  and  what 's  wanted?" 

"You  're  wanted  on  deck.  It  is  jest  dawn. 
Land 's  been  sighted  an'  there 's  a  heavy  sea 


THE, ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

runnin'.     Pimball  an'  Glibby  want  your  advice 
,,as  to  what  Ts  to  be  done." 

,  "Good,"  said  I,  "I  will  be  with  you  in  a  mo- 
ment Tell  them  I  have  yet  a  word  or  two  to 
say  to  this  woman,  here." 

The  man  turned  on  his  heel,  passed  through 
the  cabin  and  climbed  the  ladder  to  the  deck. 

"Now,"  I  said  quickly,  thrusting  one  of  my 
pistols  into  my  little  mistress'  hand,  "we  can  talk 
no  longer  this  time ;  I  am  going  to  do  my  best  for 
you  and  if  I  fail  here  is  a  weapon.  You  know 
what  to  do  with  it?" 

"Shall  I  use  it  on  them?" 

"No,  madam,"  I  answered  grimly,  "on  your- 
self if  it  comes  to  the  worst." 

"I  understand,"  she  said,  paling  a  little. 

"Lock  the  door  when  I  go  out  and  on  no  ac- 
count open  to  any  voice  but  mine." 

"I  shall  remember." 

"And  keep  up  the  acting,"  I  said,  "whim- 
per and  cower  away  whenever  we  are  seen 
together." 

"I  shall  not  forget,"  she  said,  standing  very 
straight,  looking  at  me  bravely,  her  eyes  shining. 

"And  now,  good-by." 
146 


I  MAKE  ALL  CLEAR 

I  turned  away  but  she  caught  me  by  the 
shoulder.  She  extended  her  hand  rather  high. 
I  was  not  so  dumb  as  not  to  understand  what  she 
wanted  and  so  I  bent  and  kissed  it,  and  it  was 
no  light  kiss  of  gallantry,  but  I  pressed  my  lips 
passionately  against  the  little  hand. 

"May  God  keep  you,"  she  said,  as  I  turned 
away,  breathing  the  "Amen"  I  dared  not  speak. 

I  heard  the  key  turn  in  the  lock  behind  me  and 
with  a  heart  full  of  misgivings  in  spite  of  my 
stern  and  resolute  purpose,  I  came  out  on  deck 
again. 


'47 


CHAPTER  IX 

IN  WHICH  WE  ESCAPE  TOGETHER  FROM  THE  SHIP 

I  HAD  no  idea  that  it  was  morning  already, 
the  night  had  passed  so  quickly.  The 
eastern  sky  was  already  gray,  and  although  the 
day  bade  fair  to  be  an  unpleasant  one  there  was 
already  light  enough  to  distinguish  land  off  to 
starboard;  that  side  of  the  ship  on  the  tack  on 
which  we  were  then  standing,  was  to  leeward. 
We  had  run  quite  near  it  in  the  night.  It  was 
still  too  gray  to  make  out  much  more  than  the 
existence  of  the  land  itself,  but  I  thought  I  saw 
beyond  the  nearest  island  others  rising. 

At  any  rate,  there  it  was  where  it  ought  to  be, 
and  I  did  n't  make  any  doubt  but  that  it  was  the 
island  which  we  had  been  seeking  these  long 
weary  months  at  sea,  especially  as  I  recalled  the 
results  of  the  sights  which  poor  Captain  Mat- 
thews and  I  had  worked  out  the  afternoon 
before.  I  felt  no  little  pride  in  my  navigation, 
by  the  way.  I  had  told  her  that  I  could  find  it, 

148 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

and  I  had  done  so  after  sailing  halfway  round 
the  world. 

The  observation  which  I  had  taken  then  and 
which  I  had  checked  off  later,  and  which  Cap- 
tain Matthews  had  also  checked  off  by  his  own 
shot  at  the  sun,  had  shown  us  that  we  were  in 
about  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  chart 
where  we  might  hope  to  sight  land,  if  the  island 
of  our  search  was  not  purely  an  imaginary  one. 
It  had  not  been  marked  on  any  chart,  to  be  sure, 
and  I  had  always  felt  some  doubt  about  it.  The 
whole  story  was  so  strange  and  unreal,  something 
like  a  story-teller's  romance,  that  the  longer  I 
sailed  on  the  voyage  the  less  real  the  whole 
undertaking  seemed.  With  the  passing  days  and 
the  passing  leagues  I  had  changed  my  once  con- 
fident opinion. 

Yet  I  knew  that  these  parts  of  the  ocean  had 
not  been  well  charted,  they  were  very  infre- 
quently visited,  and  there  might  well  be  islands 
here  as  well  as  in  other  parts  of  the  South  Seas 
that  no  one  knew  anything  at  all  about.  I  had 
thus  sought  to  reassure  myself,  and  lo  and  be- 
hold, there  it  was.  I  was  glad  then  that  I  had 
not  spoken  of  my  growing  doubts  to  my  lady. 

149 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

Somehow  the  sight  of  that  land  set  my  pulses 
beating.  If  there  was  land  there,  why  should  not 
the  rest  of  the  story  be  true,  why  should  there  not 
be  treasure? 

My  confidence  came  suddenly  back  to  me. 
Yes,  that  must  be  the  island  and  the  treasure 
must  be  upon  it.  I  had  professed  to  give  up  all 
of  my  share  to  the  crew  for  her — nevertheless,  I 
was  not  insensible  to  its  value  if  it  were  there, 
and  I  made  up  my  mind  if  human  strength, 
human  wisdom,  human  cunning,  and  unbounded 
devotion  could  work  it  out,  I  would  outwit  the 
crew  and  get  all  of  it  for  her,  although  I  realized 
that  riches  would  remove  her  at  once  further 
than  ever  from  me. 

What  of  it!  I  couldn't  be  further  from  her 
than  I  was.  She  had  shown  me  my  presumption 
and  rebuked  me  properly  for  it,  though  indeed 
she  had  forgiven  me.  She  was  born  to  be  rich 
and  happy  and  if  I  could  make  her  the  one  her 
friends,  old  and  new,  would  doubtless  make  her 
the  other.  As  for  me — well,  I  could  go  off  on 
some  longer  cruise  even  than  this  and  never  come 
back.  Nobody  would  care.  I  did  n't  have 
much  time  to  think  about  these  things,  but  the 

150 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

resolution  came  to  my  mind  then  as  I  set  it  down 
here. 

The  whole  crew  was  on  deck.  I  did  n't  see 
Captain  Matthews'  body  about,  although  I 
looked  hastily  for  it.  I  learned  later  that  they 
had  tumbled  the  poor  old  man  overboard  after 
they  had  knocked  him  on  the  head.  He  had 
shot  a  mutineer  before  the  rest  killed  him,  and 
he,  too,  had  gone  into  the  sea  with  the  same  lack 
of  ceremony — murdered  and  murderer  together 
to  wait  the  final  reckoning.  Pimball,  Glibby, 
and  one  or  two  others  of  the  older  seamen  were 
on  the  quarter-deck,  the  rest  being  strung  along 
the  lee  rail  in  the  waist,  staring  at  the  island. 
Two  good  hands  were  at  the  wheel.  The  ship 
was  pitching  and  laboring  heavily  and  it  re- 
quired two  men  to  hold  her  up  to  it. 

Everything  above  the  topsail  yards  had  been 
furled,  of  course,  and  during  the  night  they  had 
taken  a  second  reef  in  the  topsails.  A  whole 
gale  was  now  blowing.  The  Rose  of  Devon  was 
a  wet  ship  in  a  seaway,  and  she  was  making  heavy 
weather  out  of  it.  Every  once  in  a  while  a  wave 
would  slap  her  on  the  weather  bow  and  send  a 
cloud  of  spray  as  high  as  the  foreyard,  followed 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

by  a  torrent  of  water  flooding  aft.  Fortunately 
it  was  not  cold.  We  were  only  a  few  degrees 
south  from  the  line  so  the  water  was  warm  and 
nobody  minded  an  occasional  ducking. 

I  noticed  one  thing  with  satisfaction.  They 
had  evidently  not  thought  it  worth  while  to 
break  open  the  arms  chest  or  to  force  the  key 
from  me,  which  they  could  easily  have  done, 
and  therefore  none  of  them  was  armed.  The 
desirability  of  getting  at  the  arms  had  not  oc- 
curred to  them,  or  else,  they  being  so  many,  and 
I  but  one,  they  had  not  thought  it  worth  while. 
At  any  rate,  save  their  sheath  knives,  weapons 
they  had  none.  Even  Captain  Matthews'  pistols 
had  been  thrown  over  with  the  body,  in  their 
hasty  disposition  of  it. 

"Well,"  I  began,  as  I  climbed  over  the  hatch 
combing  and  turned  aft. 

"I  sent  for  you,  Hampdon,"  began  Pimball 
insolently,  and  his  failure  to  'mister*  me  or  to 
give  me  any  title  indicated  our  present  relations 
— and  of  course  I  expressed  no  resentment  over 
his  disrespect — "because  o'  that,"  he  pointed  to 
the  leeward  toward  the  island,  which  we  were 
now  sufficiently  close  to  see  easily  in  the  growing 

152 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

light,  and  to  which  we  were  rapidly  drawing 
nearer.  "What  do  you  make  of  it?" 

"It  looks  like  land,"  I  said  to  gain  time. 

"It  is  land,  of  course,"  he  rejoined  impatiently, 
"but  what  land?" 

"How  can  I  tell?"  I  answered  evasively.  "I 
have  never  been  in  these  seas  before." 

"Well,  you  took  a  shot  at  the  sun  yesterday, 
didn't  you?" 

"Certainly." 

"An'  where  were  we?" 

I  named  a  latitude  and  longitude,  not  exactly 
what  I  had  worked  out  but  near  enough.  For 
obvious  reasons  I  did  n't  want  these  ruffians  to 
know  exactly  where  we  were  or  to  have  any  ac- 
curate information  on  any  subject.  He  pulled 
out  the  chart  as  I  spoke  and  compared  its  figures 
with  those  I  had  given  them.  Evidently  he 
could  read  figures  if  not  letters. 

"At  any  rate,"  he  said  after  studying  over  the 
map  for  a  little  time,  "that  ain't  far  from  the 
p'int  we  're  makin'  for,  is  it?" 

"No,"  I  admitted,  "not  very." 

"Do  you  think  that  can  be  it?" 

"I  can't  tell  for  certain,"  I  replied,  determined 

153 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

not  to  commit  myself,  "until  I  get  another  shot 
at  the  sun.  I  should  think  the  latitude  about 
right,  but  as  to  the  longitude — " 

"An'  you  can't  git  no  shot  at  the  sun  'til  noon, 
can  you?"  unceremoniously  put  in  Glibby,  cast- 
ing a  long  look  to  the  eastward  where  the  sky 
was  thick  and  cloudy  already. 

"I  can't  even  get  an  observation  then  unless 
we  have  clear  weather,"  I  answered. 

"There  '11  be  no  clear  weather  today,  I  take 
it,"  said  an  old  seaman,  standing  with  the  other 
two. 

"I  don't  much  think  it,"  I  assented. 

"Well,  what  do  you  advise,  then?"  asked 
Pimball. 

"That  we  stand  on  slowly  during  the  day  and 
heave  to  at  night,  and  if  we  can't  get  a  shot  at 
the  sun,  stay  hereabouts  until  the  sky  is  clear 
and  the  sun  visible,  then  we  will  know  just 
exactly  what  course  to  take  and  just  what 's  best 
to  be  done." 

The  advice  was  so  self-evidently  good,  in  fact, 
the  only  practicable  course,  that  there  was  no 
hesitation  in  accepting  it.  Pimball,  Glibby,  and 
the  older  sailors  conferred  together  for  a  few 

154 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

minutes  and  decided  that  what  I  had  said  was 
sensible.  The  boatswain  stepped  up  to  the 
horse  block,  grabbed  the  trumpet,  and  shouted 
his  orders.  Presently  the  ship  was  hove  to  with 
the  island  well  under  her  lee,  distant  perhaps  a 
league  and  a  half  or  maybe  two  leagues.  Per- 
sonally I  should  not  have  hove  to  a  ship  so  close 
to  a  lee  shore.  I  should  not  have  advised  it  and 
indeed  would  have  protested  against  it,  had  I 
not  suddenly  developed  a  plan,  a  plan  as  desper- 
ate as  ever  came  into  man's  head,  but  then  the 
situation  required  desperate  remedies.  And  for 
the  accomplishment  of  the  plan  the  ship  was  now 
in  the  very  best  position  I  could  have  put  her. 

There  were  thirty  able-bodied  men  on  that 
ship,  not  one  of  whom  could  have  matched  me 
individually,  but  collectively  I  was  nothing  com- 
pared to  them.  If  that  were  the  island  for 
which  we  had  been  headed,  I  did  not  want  to 
leave  it  without  an  inspection.  Privately  I  had 
no  doubt  but  that  it  was,  because,  as  near  as  I 
could  calculate  from  our  last  observation,  it  was 
exactly  in  the  spot  where  it  ought  to  be,  did  the 
parchment  tell  the  truth.  As  I  said  before,  I 
prided  myself  on  my  navigation  and  I  do  still. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

It  was  no  light  thing  to  sail  a  ship  from  England 
across  the  whole  length  of  the  Atlantic,  round 
Cape  Horn  and  take  her  up  into  the  tropics  and 
put  her  just  where  she  ought  to  be;  and  I  submit 
that  I  had  a  right  to  be  proud. 

Well,  if  that  were  the  island,  I  was  minded 
to  desert  the  ship  with  my  lady,  get  ashore  and 
trust  ourselves  to  the  tender  mercies  of  whatever 
natives  there  were  rather  than  stay  with  the  ves- 
sel. The  savages,  if  any  there  were,  could  n't  do 
any  more  than  murder  us,  and,  unless  I  could 
shoot  her  first,  the  men  would  eventually  treat 
her,  and  me  too,  a  deal  worse  than  that.  I  took 
no  stock  in  their  promises  and  agreements. 
Once  they  got  the  treasure  it  would  follow  that 
they  would  kill  me  and  take  her.  So  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  desert  the  ship  with  my  mistress  just 
as  soon  as  I  could  get  away  from  her,  and  I 
thought  I  could.  Rather  the  natural  savage  than 
the  civilized  one  for  us  both,  I  decided.  That 
was  my  desperate  design. 

When  we  got  The  Rose  of  Devon  safely  hove 
to,  the  men  all  knocked  off  work  at  once,  leaving 
the  decks  in  a  state  of  confusion.  Indeed,  save 
to  clear  up  the  gear,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

wait.  Two  or  three  men  were  stationed  on 
watch  and  the  rest  were  given  the  freedom  of 
the  ship.  I  was  in  doubt  as  to  what  to  say  about 
the  cabin,  but  strangely  enough  nobody  made 
any  effort  to  take  advantage  of  the  mastery  of  the 
crew  to  quarter  himself  there.  Indeed,  their 
quarters  forward  were  almost  as  good  as  ours 
and  they  evidently  preferred  to  be  together. 
The  ship  was  generously  provisioned  and  the 
fare  of  the  men  had  been  unusually  good.  They 
did,  however,  break  into  the  lazarette  and  help 
themselves  to  whatever  they  liked  out  of  the 
cabin  stores,  including  a  case  of  bottled  spirits. 
I  looked  at  that  action  with  very  considerable 
alarm  at  first,  wondering  whether  it  would  not 
be  wise  or  better  for  me  to  interfere,  lest  I  should 
be  unable  to  control  them  at  all  when  drunk.  I 
decided  in  the  end  not  to  interpose  any  objec- 
tions. In  fact,  I  went  further  in  pursuance  of 
my  plan  and  I  flatter  myself  that  my  design  was 
a  brilliant  one.  From  the  cabin  stores  presently 
I  brought  out  other  liquor  and  let  them  have  as 
much  as  they  wanted.  I  even  plied  them  with 
it,  playing  the  host  with  much  profession  of 
generosity  and  hearty  hospitality.  A  little 

157 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

liquor  would  make  them  ugly  and  intractable,  I 
reasoned,  a  great  deal  would  make  them  drunk, 
and  enough  would  render  them  completely  help- 
less. I  even  joined  them  in  their  carousal.  It 
was  easy  enough  to  spill  my  portion  and  make  a 
pretense  at  drinking  which  soon  deceived  them. 
They  took  to  the  liquor  like  ducks  to  the  water 
and  voted  me  a  royal  good  fellow  and  the  prince 
of  pirates.  I  mixed  the  raw  spirits  with  very 
heady  wines,  too,  being  much  astonished  at  their 
capacity,  by  the  way. 

The  men  on  watch  kept  reasonably  sober  for 
a  time,  but  even  they  were  not  any  too  abste- 
mious. I  saw  to  that.  Later  on,  the  cook,  who 
was  not  yet  too  drunk,  fixed  them  up  a  regular 
banquet  out  of  the  cabin  stores,  and  there  was  no 
objection  to  my  taking  a  portion  to  my  lady  in 
the  stateroom  below,  where  she  needed  no  urgent 
entreaty  to  keep  close  and  remain  out  of  the  way. 

My  communications  that  long  day  with  my 
sweet  charge  were  necessarily  much  intermitted 
and  very  short.  I  did  not  dare  to  be  long  away 
from  the  men  on  deck.  I  still  wore  my  sword, 
and  searching  through  the  captain's  cabin  found 
two  heavy  pistols  which  I  carefully  charged, 

158 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

concealing  them  in  the  deep  pockets  of  my  pea 
jackets.  I  passed  among  the  men  freely,  hand- 
ing out  the  spirits,  opening  fresh  bottles  and 
bandying  rough  jests,  but  took  care  never  to  be 
in  any  position  where  I  could  not  command  the 
companion  hatch  which  led  to  the  cabin. 

The  day  did  not  pass  without  some  altercations 
and  quarrels.  One  man  did  endeavor  to  get 
below  but  I  was  too  quick  for  him.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  unimportant  among  the  crew  and  I 
fetched  him  a  sound  buffet  which  laid  him  out 
— he  was  too  drunk  to  resent  it  successfully  even 
then — and  which  was  greeted  with  a  roar  of 
laughter  by  the  rest. 

"Play  fair,  Jack,"  yelled  Pimball  drunkenly; 
he  was  rather  better  humored  in  his  cups  than 
out,  it  seemed;  "he  has  give  up  his  share  of  the 
treasure  for  the  girl.  Let  him  have  her,"  of 
which  sentiment  the  rest  of  the  villains  appar- 
ently were  pleased  to  approve. 

Our  drift  was  slowly  but  surely  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  island.  Indeed,  I  think  we  had  made 
half  a  league  or  more  to  leeward  since  we  had 
been  hove  to.  From  time  to  time  I  searched  the 
shore  with  a  glass,  seeing  that  the  land  was 

159 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

protected  and  completely  enclosed  by  a  reef  on 
that  side  at  least,  which  agreed  with  the  chart; 
but  the  sky  continued  overcast  and  the  mist  grew 
thicker,  so  I  could  n't  make  out  much  more  than 
that.  It  was  land  and  that  was  enough.  It  was 
big  enough  to  support  life,  and  I  thought  that  I 
detected  green  patches  here  and  there  that  be- 
tokened vegetation,  and  if  so,  there  must  be  water 
and  where  there  was  water  there  was  certainly 
life. 

Nobody  took  any  care  to  strike  the  bells,  but 
when  darkness  fell  I  declared  noisily  that  I 
would  go  below  and  turn  in.  All  but  the  most 
seasoned  and  hardy  drinkers  were  by  this  time 
dead-drunk.  There  was  evidently  some  little 
remembrance  of  my  rank,  for  no  one  yet  con- 
scious made  any  objection.  Pimball,  lying  su- 
pine on  the  deck,  hiccoughed  out  that  he  and 
Glibby,  who  was  in  no  better  case,  would  keep 
the  watches,  so  far  as  the  ship  needed  watching. 
I  ventured  to  suggest  that  the  ship  could  be  left 
alone  without  watch  at  all  under  the  circum- 
stances and  he  stuttered  out  a  complete  agree- 
ment over  the  bottle  which  he  and  Glibby 
lovingly  shared.  The  wind  had  moderated 

1 60 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

somewhat,  although  it  was  still  blowing  hard. 
We  set  no  more  sail,  however,  and  indeed,  unless 
we  wished  to  drift  past  the  island,  it  was  not 
necessary,  especially  as  they  still  kept  her  hove 
to.  With  drunken  effusiveness  they  assured  me 
that  they  would  take  care  of  the  ship  and  I  went 
below,  having  provided  all  of  them  with  a  fresh 
supply  of  drink  just  before. 

I  sometimes  wonder  if  I  would  not  have  been 
justified  in  killing  them  all  while  they  were  ren- 
dered thus  helpless.  But  I  could'  not  bring 
myself  to  such  wholesale  murder,  richly  as  they 
deserved  it  and  little  as  I  was  inclined  to  mercy. 
I  also  thought  of  clapping  them  in  irons  and 
stowing  them  below.  But  there  were  not  irons 
enough  aboard  for  that  purpose  and  Mistress 
Wilberforce  and  I  could  not  work  the  ship  un- 
aided; we  could  not  even  feed  and  water  our 
prisoners.  Yet,  if  I  could  have  counted  on  three 
or  four  true  men's  assistance,  I  would  have  risked 
it.  So  far  as  I  could  judge  the  whole  crew  had 
become  thoroughly  corrupt.  I  did  not  dare  to 
try  any  of  them.  No,  to  abandon  the  ship  was 
our  only  chance. 

How  my  little  mistress  had  passed  the  drag- 
161 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

ging,  anxious  hours  of  that  awful  day  you  can 
better  imagine  than  I  can  describe.  And  my 
occasional  visits  had  scarcely  reassured  her 
greatly.  Yet  in  an  emergency  I  have  never 
known  a  woman  who  had  more  spirit,  who  could 
bear  herself  more  courageously,  and  I  never  want 
to  be  so  loyally  or  efficiently  backed  by  anyone 
as  she  backed  me.  But  I  have  often  observed 
that  it  is  the  waiting  that  is  hardest.  It  is  the 
standing  still  and  not  knowing  what  is  going  to 
turn  up,  that  takes  strength  out  of  a  strong  man 
and  much  more  out  of  a  nervous  woman. 

She  had  left  her  noon  meal  practically  un- 
touched, and  was  sitting  there  in  the  cabin  ner- 
vously clutching  the  pistol,  frightened  half  to 
death.  Poor  girl,  I  did  n't  blame  her.  What- 
ever may  have  been  the  cause  of  it  she  was  gen- 
uinely glad  to  see  me  when  I  came  in  and  lighted 
the  cabin  lanterns. 

"Oh,"  she  cried,  "I  have  been  in  agony  the 
whole  day.  Every  sound  has  caused  me  to  seize 
this  weapon  and  when  I  have  not  been  watching 
the  door  I  have  been  on  my  knees  praying  for 
you  and  for  myself.  I  do  not  think  I  can  stand 
another  day  like  this." 

162 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

"Please  God,  dear  lady,  you  shall  not,"  I  said, 
smiling  reassuringly  at  her. 

"What  do  you  mean?     Have  you  a  plan?" 

"I  have.     The  men  are  all  drunk." 

"I  heard  them  taking  the  spirits  from  the  rack, 
and—" 

"I  gave  them  all  they  wanted,  and  more,"  I 
interposed. 

"Was  that  wise?" 

"Certainly." 

"I  don't  understand." 

"A  little  liquor  would  have  inflamed  them,  a 
great  deal  stupefies  them.  They  are  as  helpless 
as  logs  now,  and  if  I  had  three  good  men  besides 
myself  I  could  take  the  ship.  As  it  is — "  I  hesi- 
tated— "I  am  here  to  serve  you.  I  am  going  to 
leave  the  ship  and  take  you  with  me." 

"But  how— when?" 

For  answer  I  threw  open  the  stern  window  of 
her  cabin.  On  a  level  with  it  swung  a  small 
boat,  a  whaleboat.  Now  I  had  taken  occasion 
during  the  day  to  lower  that  boat  little  by  little, 
a  few  inches  at  a  time  and  then  a  few  inches  at 
another  time,  as  I  had  opportunity  to  get  near 
the  falls  and  to  manipulate  them  unobserved,  be- 

163 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

ing  sheltered  by  the  trunk  cabin,  of  which  all  the 
men  were  forward,  and  I  had  succeeded  in  my 
purpose  without  attracting  attention,  although 
the  risk  had  been  tremendous.  Of  course,  I 
could  n't  lower  it  clear  to  the  water,  but  I  had 
brought  it  down  to  the  level  of  the  cabin  win- 
dows. Its  sea  lashings  were  cast  off  and  I  had 
no  doubt,  if  conditions  on  deck  were  as  I  ex- 
pected them  to  be,  I  could  lower  it  all  the  way 
later  on  with  impunity. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  asked,  staring  out 
of  the  window  and  into  the  empty  boat. 

"I  mean  that  you  and  I  are  going  to  embark 
in  that  boat  tonight  and  leave  this  ship." 

"But  where  are  we  going?" 

"There  is  land  not  a  league  and  a  half  under 
our  lee.  It  seems  to  be  the  most  easterly  of  a 
cluster  of  islands." 

"Is  it  the  island  we  seek,  do  you  think?" 

"I  have  no  doubt,"  I  replied,  "if  there  is  such 
an  island,  that  it  will  be  one  of  the  cluster.  We 
are  in  exactly  the  latitude  and  the  longitude  of 
the  chart  if  my  calculations  are  correct." 

"The  island  was  uninhabited  when  my  ances- 
tor was  cast  away  upon  it." 

164 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

"Yes,"  said  I,  "but  there  may  be  natives  there 
now,  and  no  savages  of  the  South  Seas  could  be 
more  cruel  and  ruthless  than  the  men  on  this 
ship.  To  be  frank  with  you,  I  have  no  doubt 
that  as  soon  as  they  are  sure  that  they  have 
reached  the  island  and  that  my  services  are  no 
longer  necessary  to  enable  them  to  find  the 
treasure,  they  will  murder  me  out  of  hand." 

"And  me?" 

"They  would  not  be  so  merciful  to  you." 

"But  would  n't  they  want  to  keep  you  to  take 
the  ship  back?" 

"That  is  an  easy  matter,"  I  answered.  "All 
they  would  have  to  do  would  be  to  lay  a  course  as 
nearly  possible  due  east  and  they  would  bring  up 
on  the  South  American  coast,  Peru,  Chile,  some- 
where, it  would  not  make  very  much  difference 
where,  so  long  as  it  was  near  Spanish  settlements. 
Then  they  would  divide  the  treasure,  wreck  the 
ship,  and  scatter  themselves  and  their  gains. 
No,  my  usefulness  ends  as  soon  as  they  determine 
that  yonder  is  the  island  and  that  the  treasure  is 
.there." 

"Let  us  go,"  she  said,  shuddering. 

"I  thought  you  would  see  it  that  way,"  I  re- 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

plied;  "the  worst  the  natives  can  do,  if  there  are 
any,  is  to  murder  us  and  I  shall  always  save  the 
last  shot — "  I  paused,  I  could  n't  bear  to  say  it. 

"For  me,"  she  added  softly,  laying  her  little 
hand  again  upon  my  arm — and  how  I  loved  and 
prized  those  little  touches,  those  little  evidences 
of  trust  and  confidence. 

I  nodded  stupidly,  speechless  as  usual. 

"What  is  your  plan?"  she  asked. 

"I  want  you  to  dress  yourself  in  your  stoutest 
clothes  with  your  heaviest  shoes,  wrap  yourself 
up  in  a  boat  cloak  and  take  with  you  a  few  neces- 
saries for  your  comfort.  I  will  go  and  rummage 
the  lazarette  for  provisions,  and  I  will  see  if  I 
can  turn  up  any  more  weapons  in  the  captain's 
room.  I  dare  not  go  to  the  arms  chest.  It  is 
below  in  the  hold  anyway,  and  I  can't  waste  the 
time  to  hunt  it  out.  We  must  hurry." 

"Why,  you  said  they  were  insensible." 

"They  carry  liquor  like  a  line-of-battle  ship 
her  tops'ls  in  a  storm,"  I  answered.  "They'll 
recover  their  senses  before  we  know  it.  I  want 
as  long  a  start  as  possible,  and  indeed  I  must 
hasten  now." 

"Wait  a  moment,"  she  said.  She  opened  a 
1 66 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

drawer  under  her  berth  and  drew  out  a  leather 
case,  which  she  opened  and  placed  before  me. 
There  were  two  ivory-handled,  silver-mounted 
pistols  in  it.  "They  belonged  to  my  father,"  she 
said,  "with  one  of  them  he — he — "  her  voice 
broke.  I  nodded.  I  knew  what  he  had  done 
with  one  of  them.  She  rummaged  farther  and 
drew  out  an  exquisite  sword,  quite  unlike  my 
heavy  one,  but  if  I  could  judge  anything  about 
weapons,  of  fine  temper  and  strength  and  with  its 
hilt  studded  with  diamonds.  "This  was  my 
father's,  too,"  she  said,  and  I  recognized  it  also. 
It  was  that  I  had  taken  from  Arcester.  I  have 
worn  it  many  times  since  in  the  King's  service, 
for  we  found  it  on  the  ship  again,  after — but  I  go 
ahead  of  my  story! 

The  pistols  were  smaller  than  my  huge  bark- 
ers, better  suited  for  her  hand,  and  to  load  them 
from  the  flasks  which  accompanied  them  was  the 
work  of  a  few  minutes.  I  thrust  my  own  heavy 
weapons  back  into  my  belt.  I  then  buckled  her 
two  pistols  around  her  waist  and  bade  her  have 
the  sword  handy  also.  We  might  need  all  these 
weapons,  though  I  did  not  think  so. 

Then  I  left  her  and  went  out  on  deck.  The 
167 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

men  were  in  a  profound  drunken  stupor.  Pirn- 
ball  was  sound  asleep,  Glibby  was  nodding,  the 
lookout  aft  could  hardly  keep  himself  awake  and 
the  lookout  forward  was  in  much  the  same  con- 
dition. The  rest  of  the  men  were  as  helpless  as 
logs,  like  dead  men  in  fact.  I  made  the  circuit 
of  the  ship.  Glibby  leered  at  me  as  I  drew 
abreast  of  him. 

"Everyth-th-ing  a-all-r-right?"  he  hic- 
coughed. 

"Everything,"  I  answered  shortly,  "the  old 
barque  does  n't  need  much  watching  tonight,  you 


can  see." 


The  wind  had  fallen  somewhat  and  the  sea  was 
much  calmer. 

"W-we  w-will  g-get  a  s-s-shot  at  the  s-sun  in 
the  m-m-orning,"  he  continued,  "an'  t-then  we 
will  s-s-see  where  w-we  are." 

"Aye,"  said  I,  "in  the  morning."  I  yawned 
extravagantly.  "I  will  go  and  turn  in,  I  think. 
If  you  need  me,  call  me." 

He  flung  a  vile  suggestion  after  me  which 
made  me  want  to  turn  and  heave  him  overboard, 
but  I  had  to  force  a  laugh  as  I  went  below  into 
the  cabin.  I  saw  that  in  a  few  moments  he  and 

1 68 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

the  lookouts  forward  and  aft  would  be  like  the 
rest. 

The  lazarette  was  well  provided  and  I  stocked 
the  boat  handsomely,  not  forgetting  compass, 
lantern,  tinder  box,  and  candles.  There  was  not 
much  water,  but  I  emptied  some  bottles  of  wine 
and  filled  them,  although  I  did  not  greatly  worry 
on  that  account  because  there  would  be  plenty 
of  water  undoubtedly  on  the  island.  The  boat 
was  provided  with  a  mast  and  sail.  I  got  into 
her  as  she  swung  at  the  davits  and  overhauled 
spar  and  gear.  Then  I  shipped  the  tiller  and 
presently  everything  was  ready.  A  final  search 
brought  to  light  a  narrow  locker  in  the  captain's 
room  which  I  forced  open,  and  found  to  contain 
a  fine  fowling  piece,  a  double-barreled  shotgun, 
and  a  heavy  musket  with  plenty  of  powder  and 
ball.  These  I  passed  into  the  boat  also,  with  a 
sharp  and  heavy  axe. 

"Have  you  got  ready  all  that  you  wish  to 
take?"  I  asked  my  little  mistress  when  all  my 
own  preparations  were  completed. 

"A  change  of  linen,  some  toilet  articles  and 
necessaries,  needles  and  thread,"  she  answered, 
holding  up  her  bundle. 

169 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"Good,"  said  I.  I  judged  it  was  about  ten 
o'clock  at  night.  "Now  do  you  get  into  the 
boat,  madam." 

She  had  not  been  on  the  ship  for  six  months 
without  having  learned  something  about  it  and 
she  instantly  asked  me, 

"But  how  are  you  going  to  lower  the  boat 
away?" 

"I  will  have  to  go  up  on  deck  for  that,"  I  said. 

"But  won't  they  see  you?" 

"I  don't  think  so,  but  whether  they  do  or  not, 
we  must  chance  it,  but  if  anything  should  hap- 
pen to  me,  I  '11  manage  first  to  lower  and  then  to 
cut  the  boat  adrift  and  you  will  be  in  God's 
hands.  I  don't  think  they  will  see  me  and  I  am 
going  to  do  my  best  to  see  that  nothing  does  hap- 
pen, but  always  you  will  have  to  trust  to  Him." 

"I  do,  I  do,"  she  whispered,  "and  to  you." 

There  was  no  irreverence  in  that,  I  am  sure, 
and  I  bowed  my  head  silently,  assisting  her  to 
take  her  place  in  the  stern  sheets.  It  was  not  a 
large  boat,  yet  she  made  but  a  small  figure  sit- 
ting there.  Then  I  went  on  deck.  I  had  a  can 
of  oil  with  me  to  oil  the  blocks.  It  was  as  I 
fancied.  By  that  time  everybody  on  the  ship 

170 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

was  asleep  in  a  drunken  stupor  and  the  bottle  I 
had  passed  to  the  hard-headed  Glibby  as  I  had 
left  him  had  done  its  work,  too.  The  two  look- 
outs were  sleeping  with  the  others.  The  man 
forward  was  sprawled  on  the  deck.  I  went  for- 
ward to  make  sure.  The  ship  was  deserted  so 
far  as  human  supervision  was  concerned. 

Still,  I  did  n't  neglect  any  precaution.  I  oiled 
the  sheaves  of  the  blocks  and  lowered  the  boat 
away  carefully  inch  by  inch  until  it  was  water- 
borne.  I  reassured  my  mistress  by  whispered 
words  as  I  did  so.  She  had  had  her  instructions, 
and  right  well  she  followed  them.  She  had  her 
boat  hook  out  and  fended  off  the  minute  the  boat 
touched  the  water.  For  me  to  belay  the  falls 
and  slide  down  the  forward  one,  to  cast  off  and 
take  my  place  in  the  boat  was  but  the  work  of 
an  instant.  The  oars  had  been  carefully 
muffled.  Although  the  noise  of  the  waves  ren- 
dered conversation  quite  safe  we  neither  of  us 
spoke  a  word  until  I  had  rowed  some  distance 
from  the  ship. 

As  I  pulled  away  I  half  regretted  that  I  had 
not  poured  the  remainder  of  the  oil  down  the 
fore  hatch  and  set  fire  to  it.  But  as  I  said,  I 

171 


could  not  bring  myself  to  wholesale  murder  like 
that,  for  drunk  as  they  were  none  could  have 
escaped.  No,  the  only  thing  I  could  do  was  to 
leave  them,  though  there  came  a  time  when  I 
regretted  my  squeamishness  and  was  sorry  I  had 
not  made  way  with  them  while  I  had  a  chance. 

We  were  very  silent  for  the  first  ten  minutes 
or  so.  I  think  my  mistress  was  saying  her  pray- 
ers, while  I  rowed  as  I  had  never  rowed  before. 
I  could  see  the  stern  cabin  lights  plainly  as  we 
drew  away  from  the  ship,  although  for  the  rest 
she  was  in  total  darkness,  no  other  lights  show- 
ing, and  so  soon  as  we  did  get  far  enough  away 
to  render  talking  advisable  I  had  too  much  to  do 
to  spend  any  time  in  discussion.  I  had  to  get 
the  mast  stepped  and  the  sail  spread.  Fortu- 
nately, the  breeze  was  blowing  directly  north- 
westward and  that  was  the  course  we  wanted  to 
steer.  I  suppose  it  was  nearly  midnight  before 
we  got  everything  shipshape,  my  lady  bravely 
helping  me  with  her  best  efforts,  and  the  little 
vessel  threshed  gallantly  through  the  big  seas. 

The  wind  had  gone  down  considerably  but  it 
was  very  different  on  the  dinghy  to  what  it  had 
been  on  the  ship  and  my  mistress  cowered  close 

172 


WE  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  SHIP 

beside  me,  clinging  to  my  arm  with  that  in- 
stinctive craving  for  human  contact  and  for 
human  society  which  we  all  feel  under  such 
circumstances. 

I  had  carefully  taken  my  bearings  during  the 
day,  and  as  I  had  a  good  compass  on  the  boat  I 
knew  exactly  how  to  steer.  Fortunately  the 
wind  held  steady..  I  laid  her  course  so  as  to 
clear  the  northeast  end  of  the  island  around 
which  I  intended  to  swing  so  as  to  be  hidden 
from  the  ship  at  daybreak.  Of  course  we  would 
eventually  be  pursued,  but  if  I  could  get  a 
long  start  there  might  be  other  islands  among 
which  I  could  choose  my  refuge.  Many  things 
might  turn  up  of  which  a  bold  man  might  take 
advantage.  At  any  rate,  I  had  escaped  from 
them,  and  the  one  I  loved  sat  by  my  side.  The 
clouds  had  gone,  overhead  the  sky  sparkled  with 
tropic  stars.  We  looked  to  the  Southern  Cross 
and  took  courage. 

We  did  n't  talk  much.  I  did  n't  dare,  and,  for 
a  wonder,  she  had  nothing  to  say.  I  managed 
the  boat,  even  if  I  do  say  it  myself,  with  great 
skill.  I  told  her  after  a  while  that  she  was  safe. 
No  sound  had  come  from  the  ship  and  the  lights 

173 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

in  the  cabin,  which  at  first  we  could  see  dimly, 
presently  disappeared.  Our  escape  had  not 
been  discovered.  I  suggested  at  last  that  she 
should  go  to  sleep.  I  arranged  the  boat  cloak 
and  blankets  and  although  she  had  to  be  much 
persuaded,  I  finally  prevailed  upon  her  to  lie 
down  in  the  boat,  her  head  by  my  knees,  and 
thus  we  sailed  on  through  the  night 


'74 


BOOK  III 

ON  THE  ISLAND  OF  MYSTERY 
The  Treasure  is  Found  and  Fought  For 


CHAPTER  X 

IN  WHICH  WE  CROSS  THE  BARRIER 

WHEN  day  broke  I  hauled  aft  the  sheet 
and  headed  the  boat  to  the  southward, 
for  I  had  now  crossed  what  I  took  to  be  the  head 
of  the  island  and  could  run  down  the  other  side. 
By  the  time  it  was  fairly  dawn  I  had  made 
enough  southing  to  place  the  north  end  of  the 
island  between  ourselves  and  the  ship.  My  cal- 
culations had  been  remarkably  accurate  again. 
I  had  weathered  the  islands  fairly  in  good  time, 
and  now  as  the  sun  rose  I  steered  the  boat 
directly  toward  the  land,  the  changed  direction 
of  the  morning  breeze  permitting  me  to  lay  the 
desired  course. 

My  hopes  were  high  and  I  felt  a  kind  of  ex- 
hilaration at  our  escape,  although  I  was  by  no 
means  inclined  to  minimize  the  possibilities  of 
grave  peril  we  might  soon  be  compelled  to  meet. 
The  island  was  our  destination,  however,  and 
for  it  therefore  I  determinedly  headed  my  small 

177 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

craft  with  its  precious  and  still  peacefully  sleep- 
ing cargo.  Poor  girl,  if  ever  a  woman  needed 
sleep  and  rest  it  was  she.  And  her  easy  slumber 
pleased  me  the  more  for  it  bespoke  not  only 
weariness  amounting  to  exhaustion  but  con- 
fidence and  trust — and  in  me,  and  I  was  stirred 
to  even  greater  devotion, 

I  had  sailed  in  nearly  all  the  waters  of  the 
globe,  frequented  and  unfrequented,  and  I 
fancied  I  had  chanced  upon  most  of  the  odd 
things  to  be  seen  therein,  but  I  am  free  to  admit 
that  the  island  was  unlike  any  I  had  ever  looked 
upon.  The  chart  should  have  prepared  me  for 
it,  but  it  had  not.  In  the  first  place,  like  most 
Pacific  islands,  this  was  enclosed  by  a  barrier 
reef  over  which  the  waves  broke  in  white  caps 
as  far  as  I  could  see.  I  supposed  that  some- 
where there  would  be  an  opening  in  the  reef 
through  which  we  could  sail,  although  the  chart, 
rather  roughly  drawn,  had  showed  none.  That 
an  opening  should  exist  was  so  invariably  the 
case  with  all  such  islands  as  I  had  ever  known 
or  read  about  that  I  counted  upon  finding  one 
here.  But  I  could  not  see  any  opening  from  the 
boat  as  yet.  The  lagoon  enclosed  by  the  barrier 


IN  WHICH  WE  CROSS  THE  BARRIER 

reef  seemed  to  be  from  a  half  to  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  wide. 

The  strangest  part  of  the  whole  game  was 
that  the  island  itself  looked  like  a  whitish-gray 
wall  rising  straight  up  from  the  lagoon  for,  I 
suppose,  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  the 
lowest  parts  to  three  hundred  feet  or  more  in 
the  highest.  And  the  wall  appeared  to  be  with- 
out a  break.  It  stood  up  like  a  solid  rampart  of 
stone,  its  top  covered  with  greenery. 

From  where  we  were  situated  at  just  that  mo- 
ment I  could  n't  see  on  to  the  end  of  the  island, 
although  from  my  inspection  of  it  the  day  be- 
fore, I  judged  it  might  be  six  or  eight  miles  long, 
and  as  I  had  sailed  past  it  I  estimated  it  was 
about  the  same  breadth  and  nearly  circular  in 
shape. 

A  long  distance  away  on  the  other  side  and 
hard  to  be  seen  at  all  from  the  level  of  the  sea 
in  the  small  boat  in  which  we  were,  lay  other 
islands,  faintly  outlined  on  the  far  horizon.  I 
doubt  if  I  could  have  seen  them  at  all  had  not 
the  rising  sun  smote  full  upon  them.  They 
were  too  far  away  for  my  purpose,  which  was  to 
make  a  landing  as  soon  as  possible  and  find  some 

179 


concealment  or,  at  worst,  some  practical  place  of 
defense.  I  therefore  paid  no  attention  to  them, 
not  realizing  what  a  part  they  were  to  play  in 
the  adventure  following. 

I  suppose  I  must  have  threshed  about  some- 
what when  I  brought  the  dinghy  to  the  wind  and 
changed  her  course,  for  presently  my  little  mis- 
tress awoke.  She  sat  up  instantly  and  after  the 
briefest  acknowledgment  of  my  good  morning 
and  the  briefest  reply  to  my  inquiry  as  to  how 
she  did,  she  stared  at  the  land  toward  which  we 
were  heading  in  so  far  as  the  wind  would  allow. 
It  was  a  bleak,  inhospitable  looking  place,  that 
gray  rough  wall,  in  spite  of  its  infrequent  crest- 
ing of  verdure,  I  will  admit,  and  she  too  found 
it  so.  After  she  had  stared  hard  at  the  land,  she 
cast  an  anxious  glance  to  leeward,  but  of  course 
could  make  nothing  definite  of  the  distant  islands 
there. 

"We  have  made  good  our  escape  from  the 
ship,  since  she  is  not  to  be  seen,"  she  began. 

"For  the  present,  yes." 

"Do  you  think  that  they — " 

"They  '11  be  after  us,  of  course,  as  soon  as  the 
drink  wears  off." 

1 80 


IN  WHICH  WE  CROSS  THE  BARRIER 

"And  when  will  that  be?"  she  asked  anx- 
iously. 

"This  afternoon  probably,  but  we  Ve  nought 
to  fear  from  them  for  hours  yet,"  I  reassured 
her. 

"Well,  Master  Hampdon,  what  do  you  pro- 
pose between  whiles?"  she  said. 

"We  must  get  ashore,"  said  I,  "as  soon  as 
possible.  By  the  time  their  debauch  will  have 
worn  off,  they  will  either  bring  the  ship  here 
or  send  the  boat  after  us.  Afloat  we  can  do 
nothing,  ashore  we  may  find  some  concealment 
and  probably  make  some  defense." 

"It  is  a  forbidding  looking  shore." 

"Aye,"  was  my  answer,  "but  any  haven  is 
better  than  none,  and  it  may  prove  better  than 
it  promises  on  a  nearer  view." 

"Have  you  seen  any  evidence  of  human  life?" 
she  asked,  nodding  in  acquiescence  to  my  prop- 
osition. 

"No,"  I  replied. 

Indeed,  not  a  curl  of  smoke  anywhere  be- 
trayed the  presence  of  mankind.  Had  it  not 
been  for  depressions  on  the  top  of  the  wall  here 
and  there,  which  were  filled  with  vegetation,  one 

181 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

might  have  supposed  the  island  to  be  nothing 
but  a  desolate  and  arid  rock,  but  this  reassured 
me.  I  thought  it  strange  that  there  was  no 
mountain  or  hill  rising  from  beyond  the  top  of 
the  wall,  but  I  was  yet  to  see  how  strange  the 
island  was.  Indeed,  I  think  there  can  be  no 
other  like  it  in  the  world.  For  I  have  inquired 
of  many  mariners  and  they  all  confess  that  they 
have  seen  nothing  anywhere  that  in  the  least  re- 
sembles it.  Some,  in  truth,  seem  incredulous 
to  my  tale,  though  I  set  down  naught  but  what 
is  true. 

But  as  it  was  full  morning  now,  I  decided  that 
first  of  all  the  creature  comforts  had  to  be 
thought  of.  I  offered  to  relinquish  the  tiller 
and  prepare  something  to  eat,  but  Mistress  Lucy 
took  that  upon  herself.  What  we  had  was  cold, 
but  there  was  plenty  of  it,  and  at  my  urging  she 
ate  heartily.  For  myself  I  needed  no  stimulus 
but  my  raging  hunger.  I  wanted  her  to  be  in 
fettle  for  whatever  might  happen  and  myself 
too,  and  so  we  fed  well. 

We  had  not  much  conversation  the  while,  but 
I  do  remember  that  she  did  say  she  had  rather 
be  there  alone  with  me  than  on  the  ship,  whereat 

182 


IN  WHICH  WE  CROSS  THE  BARRIER 

my  heart  bounded,  but  I  had  sense  enough  to  say 
nothing.  Her  loneliness  and  helplessness  ap- 
pealed to  me.  I  might  have  been  bold  under 
other  circumstances,  but  not  now.  She  was  de- 
pendent upon  me  and  I  could  not  bring  myself 
to  the  slightest  familiarity,  so  I  only  answered 
that  I  would  be  glad  to  serve  her  with  my  life 
and  I  prayed  God  that  we  might  come  safely  out 
of  the  whole  business,  to  which  prayer  she 
sweetly  added  her  own  amen. 

Well,  we  coasted  along  that  barrier  reef  a 
good  part  of  the  morning  until  we  reached  the 
other  end  of  the  island,  and  discovered  to  our 
dismay  that  there  was  absolutely  no  opening,  no 
break  in  it  through  which  we  could  make  our 
way.  When  we  reached  the  lower  end,  my  lady 
was  for  sailing  around  on  the  other  side  to  seek 
farther,  but  this  I  did  not  dare.  We  had  heard 
nothing  from  the  ship  or  her  boats,  and  I  did  not 
propose  to  arouse  any  pursuit  by  coming  within 
possible  range  of  her  glasses.  I  did  not  know 
where  the  The  Rose  of  Devon  lay;  for  aught  I 
knew,  they  might  have  put  her  about  and  she 
might  be  off  the  south  end  of  the  island.  It 
was  better  to  let  sleeping  and  drunken  dogs  lie, 

183 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

I  said.  After  my  rather  abrupt  negative  of  her 
proposition  she  watched  me  in  silence  as  with 
clouded  brow  I  pondered  the  situation. 

"Madam,"  said  I  at  last,  "there  is  naught  for 
us  but  to  try  to  go  over  the  reef  in  some  fashion. 
As  I  scanned  the  island  yesterday  through  the 
glasses  I  could  n't  see  any  opening  in  the  reef 
on  that  side,  and  although  I  never  saw  or  heard 
of  a  case  like  this  before,  I  make  no  doubt  but 
what  the  reef  is  continuous  and  there  is  no  ac- 
cess to  the  island  except  over  it.  And  come  to 
think  of  it,  Sir  Philip's  chart  showed  no  open- 
ing either." 

"I  recall  that  the  reef  completely  encircles  the 
island  on  the  little  map,"  assented  my  lady. 

"Then  we  must  even  pass  over  it  as  we  can. 
I  have  had  some  experience  in  taking  a  boat 
through  the  surf,  and  although  it  is  a  prodi- 
gious risk  I  believe  I  can  take  this  one  over.  For 
one  thing,  this  dinghy  is  built  like  a  whaleboat ; 
we  may  capsize  it,  but  it  is  practicably  unsink- 
able.  I  propose  to  take  a  turn  of  the  painter 
around  your  waist.  If  she  goes  over  you  will 
not  be  thrown  completely  adrift.  I  am  a  stout 
swimmer  and  can  catch  the  boat  and  haul  you 

184 


IN  WHICH  WE  CROSS  THE  BARRIER 

in  it  or  on  it,  and  whatever  happens  our  lives 
will  be  preserved." 

"Will  it  be  so  very  dangerous?"  she  asked  me. 

I  could  have  minimized  the  danger,  of  course, 
but  I  thought  she  was  woman  enough  to  hear 
the  truth.  She  might  have  to  face  even  greater 
dangers  presently  and  she  might  as  well  become 
accustomed  to  the  idea  sooner  or  later.  So  I 
reasoned,  and  therefore  I  told  her. 

"I  don't  see  how  the  danger  could  possibly 
be  greater,  and  yet,"  I  added,  "I  think  we  shall 
win  through  if  you  will  sit  perfectly  quiet  and 
trust  to  me." 

"I  will  do  whatever  you  tell  me,"  she  said, 
with  a  most  becoming  and  unusual  meekness. 
"I  think — I  know — I  trust  you  entirely,  Master 
Hampdon." 

"Very  well,"  said  I  quietly,  "and  now  may 
God  help  us." 

Fortunately,  the  tide  was  making  toward  the 
shore  of  the  island.  I  selected  a  spot  where  the 
huge,  rolling  waves  seemed  to  break  more 
smoothly  than  elsewhere,  which  argued  a  greater 
depth  of  water  over  the  barrier,  less  roughness, 
and  fewer  possibilities  of  being  wrecked  on  the 

.85 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

jagged  points  of  the  coral  reef.  Dousing  the 
sail,  unshipping  the  tiller  and  rudder,  and  pull- 
ing the  oars  with  all  my  strength,  after  an  un- 
uttered  prayer,  I  shot  the  boat  directly  toward 
the  spot  I  had  chosen.  Just  before  I  reached 
it,  I  threw  the  oars  inboard,  seized  one  of  them 
which  I  wished  to  use  as  a  steering  oar  and 
stepped  aft  past  my  lady,  who  sat  a  little  for- 
ward and  well  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 
I  braced  myself  in  the  stern  sheets  and  waited. 
We  were  racing  toward  that  reef  with  dizzy 
speed  rising  with  the  uplift  of  the  wave.  I  had 
just  time  for  one  sentence. 

"If  we  die,"  I  shouted,  "remember  that  I  have 
been  your  true  servant  always." 

She  nodded  her  head,  her  eyes  glistening,  and 
then  I  turned  to  the  business  in  hand.  A  huge 
roller  overtook  us.  The  little  boat  rose  and  rose 
and  rose  with  a  giddy,  furious  motion.  Sud- 
denly it  began  to  turn.  If  it  went  broadside  to 
the  reef  and  a  wave  caught  it  or  one  broke  over 
it,  we  should  be  lost;  but  I  had  foreseen  the  dan- 
ger. I  threw  out  my  oar  and  with  every  pound 
of  strength  in  arm,  leg,  and  body,  I  thrust 
blindly,  desperately  against  the  heave  of  the  sea. 

1 86 


IN  WHICH  WE  CROSS  THE  BARRIER 

It  was  an  unequal  combat,  a  man  against  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  I  could  not  have  maintained  it 
for  long.  Yet  the  few  seconds  seemed  hours. 
The  strain  was  terrific,  of  all  the  tasks  I  ever 
attempted  that  taxed  my  strength  the  most — 
save  one,  as  you  shall  see.  If  the  oar  broke  we 
should  be  lost.  It  bent  and  buckled  but  held 
like  the  good  honest  piece  of  English  ash  that  it 
was.  Sweat  poured  from  me,  my  heart 
throbbed,  my  pulses  beat,  my  head  rang.  It 
was  not  in  human  power  to  continue.  I  was 
about  to  give  way  and  let  go  all  when  I  cast  one 
glance  at  my  mistress.  I  saw  her  pale  face,  her 
bright  eyes  staring  into  mine.  My  strength  then 
was  about  gone,  but  that  look  of  appeal,  entreaty, 
and  confidence  nerved  me  for  one  last  supreme 
effort. 

There  are  not  many  men  with  as  little  ex- 
perience in  that  sort  of  work  as  I  had  enjoyed 
who  could  have  done  what  I  did,  for  I  held 
the  boat  steady,  her  bows  fairly  and  squarely 
pointed  to  the  reef  in  spite  of  the  thrust  of  the 
ocean,  and  I  thought  triumphantly  that  I  was 
going  to  make  it  safely  in  spite  of  all.  I 
reckoned  without  my  host,  however.  The  wave 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

we  were  riding  broke  just  as  we  reached  the  top. 
We  sank  down  into  what  seemed  a  valley  of 
water,  the  breakers  roared  in  our  ears,  the  spray 
fell  over  us  like  rain.  We  sank  lower  and 
lower,  there  was  a  sound  of  grinding  along  the 
keel.  We  had  struck  the  coral  evidently.  The 
boat  stopped  a  moment,  motionless. 

Unshipping  my  oar,  I  thrust  it  violently  at 
the  reef.  The  blade  caught  in  the  coral.  I 
put  all  my  weight  against  it.  The  water  rose, 
the  trough  of  the  sea  into  which  we  had  fallen 
suddenly  filled.  I  clenched  my  teeth  and  closed 
my  eyes  and  thrust  again.  The  boat  lifted  a 
little,  moved  a  little,  the  keel  grating  along  the 
reef.  I  heard  a  scream  faintly  and  opened  my 
eyes.  I  caught  a  fleeting  glimpse  of  my  lady's 
face,  but  could  give  her  no  attention.  I  strug- 
gled desperately  to  drag  the  oar  free.  The 
coral  rock  into  which  I  had  jammed  it  held  the 
blade  like  a  vise.  The  boat  rose  and  moved 
faster.  The  oar  was  wrenched  from  my  hands. 
The  inrushing  wave  and  the  moving  boat  pass- 
ing reef  together,  the  great  sea  finally  broke 
upon  us. 

We  were  over,  but  the  wall  of  water  struck 
188 


the  boat,  now  broached  to,  full  on  the  beam. 
She  was  lifted  up,  whirled  over  and  swept  in- 
ward. The  mountainous  sea  struck  me  on  the 
back  and  side,  knocking  the  breath  out  of  me 
and  fairly  hurling  me  clear  of  the  boat  so  that 
I  fell  into  the  boiling  water  alongside.  My 
lady  had  half  risen  as  the  boat  swung  broadside 
to  the  sea  and  she  was  also  swept  into  the  water. 
If  she  had  remained  crouched  down  she  would 
have  fallen  under  it  and  probably  would  have 
been  killed. 

The  sea  rolling  inward  swept  us  toward 
shore.  It  was  well  that  I  had  taken  precau- 
tion to  pass  the  painter  about  her  waist  and 
tied  the  lashing  securely.  For  by  means  of  it 
she  regained  the  overturned  boat  and  climbing 
up  clung  to  its  keel  in  comparative  safety  for 
the  moment.  I,  on  the  contrary,  was  driven 
landward  and  away  from  her.  I  struggled  des- 
perately, half-dazed,  to  regain  the  boat.  I 
might  better  have  attempted  other  things,  but 
to  see  my  shipmate  there  on  the  overturned 
boat,  so  drenched  and  forlorn,  maddened  me, 
and  I  fought  flooding  tide  and  flooding  sea  to 
reach  her. 

189 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

I  could  not  call  out,  I  was  too  spent  and 
breathless  for  that,  but  I  struggled  on  and  on. 
Whatever  the  cause,  the  wave  which  had  so 
nearly  undone  us  was  followed  by  a  succession 
of  the  hugest  rollers  I  have  ever  seen.  Usually 
the  waters  inside  such  reefs  as  we  had  passed 
are  smooth  and  calm,  but  on  that  day  they  were 
scarcely  less  rough  than  the  ocean.  To  attempt 
to  make  head  against  them  was  vain. 

I  know  now  that  my  lady  called  to  me  to 
desist,  seeing  from  her  more  elevated  position 
on  the  boat's  keel  that  we  were  rapidly  being 
driven  toward  a  strip  of  sandy  beach.  But  I 
did  not  hear.  I  did  not  become  aware  of  our 
nearness  to  the  shore  until  my  foot  actually 
touched  bottom. 

The  next  wave  carried  me  landward  and  left 
me  prostrate  on  the  sand.  I  scrambled  to  my 
feet  and  leaped  to  meet  the  boat,  also  being  rolled 
toward  the  beach. 

Mistress  Lucy  had  cast  off  the  lashing  and  had 
let  herself  into  the  water,  and  none  too  soon, 
for  the  capsized  boat,  I  think  her  mast  catch- 
ing on  the  bottom,  was  suddenly  righted  by  the 
waves,  the  mast  carrying  away,  and  before  I 

190 


"Then  she  bent  over  me." 
Page  1  90  The  Island  of  the  Stairs 


could  avoid  it  I  was  struck  by  the  prow  and  knew 
no  more. 

By  this  time,  as  I  afterward  learned,  my  brave 
shipmate  had  got  to  her  feet  in  the  shallows. 
She  saw  the  boat  hurled  upon  me,  saw  me 
borne  backward  on  the  beach,  saw  me  carried 
up  the  sand,  and  left  lying  senseless  by  the  spent 
wave. 

With  feelings  which  she  did  not  attempt  to 
describe  until  long  after,  she  ran  to  me,  and 
with  a  strength,  the  source  of  which  she  could 
not  explain,  dragged  me  further  up  the  beach. 
I  am  a  large  man  and  with  all  my  inertness  and 
the  weight  of  my  sodden  clothes,  I  know  not  how 
she  compassed  it. 

Then  she  bent  over  me.  I  did  not  ask  her 
what  she  said  or  did  until  she  chose  to  tell  me 
later  of  her  own  will,  but  I  presently  awoke 
to  find  her  looking  into  my  face,  holding  my 
shoulders  with  her  hands  and  frantically  calling 
me  by  name. 

"Master  Hampdon!  Master  Hampdon!"— 
her  voice  rose  into  a  scream  of  terror. 

"Fair  and  softly,  my  lady,"  I  answered  slowly, 
sitting  up  and  looking  about  me.  "I  am  dizzy, 

191 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

my  head  aches  from  the  blow,  but  I  believe 
there  are  no  bones  broken.  Let  me  see,"  I  con- 
tinued, rising  and  steadying  myself  by  a  great  ef- 
fort by  the  boat,  which  luckily  enough  lay 
quietly  on  an  even  keel  bedded  in  the  sand  near 
by,  and  unhurt  save  for  the  broken  mast.  "And 
you,  dear  lady?"  I  asked  as  soon  as  I  could  com- 
mand myself. 

"Safe,  safe,  thank  God  and  you!"  she  cried 
tremulously. 

"Nay,"  said  I,  trembling  from  the  violence  of 
my  efforts  at  control,  "give  to  Him  alone  the 
glory." 

But  she  shook  her  head.  I  reached  down  my 
hand  toward  her  and  lifted  her  up  and  for  the 
first  time  got  sight  of  her.  She  had  worn  a 
dress  of  some  silken  stuff,  over  a  petticoat,  or 
skirt,  of  darker,  heavier,  woolen  cloth.  Her 
overdress  had  been  torn  to  rags  by  the  sea. 
There  was  a  great  rip  in  her  underskirt,  which 
she  caught  on  a  nail  or  splinter  when  she  slid 
from  the  boat  into  the  water.  Both  her 
buckled  shoes  were  gone  and  one  stocking  had 
been  stripped  from  her  by  the  seas.  Her  little 
bare  foot  gleamed  whitely  on  the  golden  sands. 

192 


IN  WHICH  WE  CROSS  THE  BARRIER 

Her  hair  was  undone,  water  dripping  from  her 
sodden  raiment. 

Under  my  steady  inspection  she  colored  vio- 
lently and  instinctively  sought  to  conceal  that 
bare  foot  beneath  her  tattered  clothing.  She 
hath  protested  often  since  as  to  how  she  must 
have  looked,  but  to  me  then  as  ever,  she  was 
beautiful  in  her  disarray  and  disorder  and  as 
to  her  sweet,  white  foot  I  longed  to  kiss  it;  aye, 
and  take  no  shame  to  myself  in  this  confession, 
either.  And  I  have  done  so  since,  not  once  but 
many  times. 

Obviously  the  first  thing  was  to  provide  her 
with  clothes.  She  had  her  other  apparel  in  a 
little  chest  which  I  had  lashed  to  the  thwarts, 
but  when  I  searched  for  it  in  the  boat  it  was 
gone,  and  the  thwart  too.  The  weight  of  it  and 
the  final  buffeting  had  wrenched  both  clear.  In 
fact,  the  boat  was  swept  clean  save  for  the 
weapons,  which  I  had  thrust  under  the  thwarts 
and  lashed  there,  and  the  contents  of  the  lockers. 
Even  the  sail  had  been  dragged  clear  of  the 
boom  which  still  clung  to  the  foot  of  the  broken 
mast. 

The  sea  had  gone  down  a  little  and  as  I 

193 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

stared  out  across  the  lagoon  I  caught  sight  of 
the  sail.  Fortunately  it  had  got  foul  of  the 
broken  thwart,  which  had  been  wrenched  loose 
by  the  drag  of  the  box  that  had  been  lost,  and 
it  was  still  afloat.  It  was  a  light  canvas.  It 
flashed  into  my  mind  that  it  would  do.  Without 
a  word  I  plunged  into  the  lagoon  and  a  few 
strokes  brought  me  to  it.  I  dragged  it  ashore 
and  spread  it  in  the  sun  before  the  inquiring 
gaze  of  my  shipmate. 

"What  is  that  for,  a  tent?"  she  asked. 

"Your  clothes,"  said  I.  "The  first  thing  for 
me  to  do  is  to  turn  cobbler  and  tailor.  You 
could  n't  go  about,  like  a  South  Sea  islander,  bare 
armed  and  barefooted,"  I  continued  calmly. 
"Out  of  the  sailcloth  we  can  make  you  some  sort 
of  a  dress." 

"But  my  shoes  and  stockings,"  she  said  fac- 
ing me  bravely,  although  the  color  came  and 
went  at  the  untoward  situation  for  a  modest 
maiden. 

"I  can  manage  the  shoes,"  said  I,  "but  the 
stockings — "  I  paused.  "When  we  have  made 
the  dress,"  I  continued  "you  won't  need  that  red 
skirt  and  you  can  make  shift  to  slit  it  into  lengths 

194 


IN  WHICH  WE  CROSS  THE  BARRIER 

and  wrap  them  about  your  legs.  They  will  pro- 
tect you  better  than  what  you  have  lost." 

Fortunately  I  brought  along  with  me  a  sail- 
or's needle  and  palm  with  stout  thread  aplenty 
still  safe  with  other  contents  of  the  lockers.  It 
was  intensely  hot  in  the  sun  and  it  did  not  take 
the  canvas  spread  out  upon  the  sand  long  to 
dry.  Picking  it  up  we  moved  inward  across 
the  narrow  strip  of  beach  to  the  cool  shadow  of 
the  cliff.  There  was  much  to  be  done,  but 
clothes  and  footgear  for  her  had  to  be  attended 
to  first  of  all.  And  as  we  had  seen  no  one,  we 
went  about  making  them  with  energy  and  a  good 
heart. 

Here  my  little  mistress  could  help.  I  am  as 
good  a  tailor,  I  dare  say,  as  any  man  that  sails  the 
seas,  but  feminine  rigging  had  never  been  my 
experience  or  endeavor.  Between  us,  with  the 
aid  of  my  sheath  knife,  which  I  ever  kept  sharp, 
we  managed  to  cut  out  a  plain  loose  dress  like  a 
tunic.  Fortunately,  she  being  but  a  small 
woman  and  understanding  how  to  use  all  the 
goods  to  the  best  advantage  without  wasting  any, 
we  were  able  to  get  out  a  suitable  garment  which 
fell  below  her  knees  halfway  to  the  ground. 

195 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

While  she  was  busy  cutting  it  I  had  taken  off 
my  vest  or  jerkin  of  stout  leather,  and  with 
her  remaining  shoe  as  a  model  for  shape  and 
size,  I  contrived  the  sort  of  a  foot  covering  that 
the  savages  of  North  America  call  a  moccasin. 
It  was  shapely  enough  too,  and  I  made  the  soles 
of  several  thicknesses  of  leather,  and  protected 
the  heel  and  toe  by  additional  strips.  So  I 
managed  to  knock  together  a  very  serviceable 
pair  of  loose  shoes.  By  the  time  I  had  finished 
them  my  lady  had  got  her  pieces  laid  out,  and 
the  sewing  of  them  devolved  upon  me,  for  she 
could  by  no  means  with  her  small  hands  manage 
the  rough  cloth  and  large  needle.  I  worked 
hard  and  before  noon  I  had  the  garment  fit  for 
her  to  wear. 

My  mistress  then  retired  behind  the  protect- 
ing rock  and  donned  the  tunic.  She  had  taken 
my  sheath  knife  with  her  and  had  made  herself 
some  kind  of  a  girdle  which  she  had  cut  from 
her  now  useless  skirt.  She  had  put  on  the  shoes, 
and  with  further  strips  from  the  cloth  had  re- 
placed the  stocking  that  she  had  lost,  and  the 
other  one  also.  She  must  have  seen  the  admira- 
tion in  my  eyes  as  she  came  rather  timidly 

196 


IN  WHICH  WE  CROSS  THE  BARRIER 

forward  to  my  gaze.  I  suppose  she  had  some 
doubts  as  to  her  appearance,  but  my  tailoring 
and  cobbling  became  her  vastly,  I  avowed. 
The  canvas  was  new  and  white,  the  scarlet  about 
her  waist,  even  the  brown  leather  of  my  moc- 
casins with  the  red  above,  added  a  charming 
touch. 

From  a  woman  of  the  world  and  society  she 
became  in  one  hour,  it  would  seem,  a  creature 
of  simplicity,  like  the  ancient  Romans  of  whom 
I  had  read.  She  still  possesses  that  garment 
and  those  shoes,  and  sometimes  in  the  privacy 
of  her  chamber  she  dons  them  for  me.  The 
sight  brings  back  old  days  and  brave  days  of 
hard  righting  and  true  comradeship  and  great 
adventure  on  that  far-off  island  set  in  that  tropic 
sea  under  those  blue  skies.  And  I  love  her 
better  than  when  in  the  diamonds  and  powder 
and  silk  and  brilliant  array  with  which  nowa- 
days beauty  obscures  itself  under  the  demand  of 
fashion. 


197 


CHAPTER  XI 

HOW  WE  EXPLORE  THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 


"rTIHANKS  to  you,  Master  Hampdon,"  she 
began,  reassured  by  my  glance,  "I  am 
now  clothed  and  shod  comfortably  and  in  my 
right  mind." 

"You  are  always  in  that,  Mistress,"  said  I 
quickly. 

"You  did  not  think  so  in  the  cabin  of  the  ship," 
she  laughed,  and  giving  me  no  time  to  answer, 
for  I  am  not  quick  at  speech  on  some  occasions, 
as  you  who  read  must  have  noticed,  she  ran  on, 
pointing  to  the  barrier  reef  as  she  spoke,  and 
staring  at  the  breakers  smashing  against  it,  "but 
shoemaking  and  dressmaking  are  small  things 
after  what  you  did  out  there." 

"It  was  nothing,"  said  I. 

"I  watched  you.  I  was  not  too  frightened  to 
do  that,  and  there  is  not  another  man  on  earth 
who  could  have  brought  me  over  the  fearful 
maelstrom  of  water  to  safety  here." 

198 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

Well,  that  is  true,  why  not  admit  it?  I 
thought. 

"Not  many  white  men,"  I  replied,  glad  for 
her  praise,  "but  natives  in  their  canoes  aplenty." 

"But  a  canoe  is  light  and  easily  managed,  not 
like  this  heavy  boat." 

"No,  I  admit  there  is  a  difference" — as  indeed 
there  was — "but  now  we  must  think  on  the 
future,"  I  added. 

"And  what  is  to  be  done  next?"  she  asked. 

The  next  thing  to  be  done,  I  decided,  was  to 
overhaul  the  boat.  I  pulled  the  plug  out, 
drained  the  water  from  her,  hauled  her  up  on 
the  sand  above  high  water  mark,  my  lady  help- 
ing me  as  if  she  had  been  a  man.  I  remon- 
strated with  her  about  it,  I  begged  her  not  to 
do  it,  finally  I  even  ventured  on  a  command  to 
which  she  paid  not  the  least  heed. 

The  precious  powder  and  shot  we  found  dry 
and  safe  in  the  flasks  in  the  air-tight  lockers. 
From  the  same  safe  place,  we  got  some  hard 
bread,  some  cold  salt  beef,  and  with  water  from 
a  brook  that  gushed  out  from  under  the  rocky 
wall  and  ran  across  the  beach  we  broke  our 
fast  again  on  this  plain  rough  fare.  It  was  not 

199 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

yet  near  noon,  but  we  had  gone  through  much 
since  that  early  breakfast,  and  were  healthily 
hungry  again — and  so  we  made  our  meal.  Dry, 
hard  eating  to  be  sure,  but  we  were  thankful  to 
God  that  we  had  it. 

Finishing,  and  feeling  much  refreshed,  we  de- 
cided that  our  first  duty  was  to  explore  the 
island  to  see  if  there  was  any  break  in  the  cliff 
wall,  and  if  there  was  any  access  to  the  inward 
parts  in  which  I  hoped  to  find  vegetation,  trees, 
and  the  delicious  fruits  with  which  I  knew  the 
tropics  abounded.  My  lady  was  heartily  in 
favor  of  such  a  course,  and  we  at  once  set  about 
carrying  it  out. 

A  hasty  survey  assured  me  that  the  cliff  was 
of  coral  formation,  jagged  and  broken  into  many 
a  crevice  and  cranny.  If  we  were  hard  put  to 
it,  I  was  sure  we  could  find  a  cave  in  which  to 
pass  the  night  if  it  were  necessary.  After  we 
had  made  out  what  we  could,  I  suggested  to 
Mistress  Lucy  that  we  start  at  once  exploring, 
proposing  that  we  follow  the  course  of  the  sandy 
strip  and  find  out  what  we  could  of  our  island 
refuge.  And,  so,  taking  with  us  some  pro- 
visions, for  we  might  have  to  go  clear  round 

200 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

the  island,  and  our  arms,  we  presently  started 
out.  My  mistress  professed  herself  well  rested 
and  ready  for  anything.  My  own  endurance 
was  not  yet  at  its  limit,  and  I  felt  the  necessity 
of  discovering  the  lay  of  the  land  at  once,  in 
view  of  the  presence  of  Pimball  and  the  ship  in 
those  waters. 

Yet  I  felt  very  easy  in  my  mind  regarding  any 
present  peril  from  the  ship,  for  I  knew  that  no 
boat  she  possessed  could  run  the  reef  as  I  had 
done,  and  even  if  she  had  had  another  like  the 
dinghy  I  was  confident  that  there  was  no  man 
aboard  her  that  had  the  strength  and  skill,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  courage,  to  bring  her  through. 
Indeed,  for  all  my  skill  and  ability  we  ourselves 
had  only  got  through  by  the  favor  of  God.  If 
there  were  no  natives  or  wild  animals  to  be 
feared  we  were  at  least  safe  for  the  time  being. 
I  explained  this  to  my  companion  as  we  trudged 
along  the  hard,  white  sand,  whereat  she  was 
greatly  relieved  and  her  quick  mind  being  freed 
of  apprehension  turned  to  other  things. 

"Think  you,  Master  Hampdon,"  she  said, 
"this  is  the  island  of  which  my  ancestor  wrote?" 

"I  am  sure  of  it,"  I  replied. 
20 1 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"He  referred  to  it,  if  I  remember  right  as  'Ye 
Islande  of  ye  Staires/  did  he  not?" 

"Yes,"  was  my  answer.  "You  remember  he 
indicated  a  stairway  about  the  middle  of  the 
island." 

"Surely,  if  we  are  to  get  to  the  top  of  yonder 
wall  it  must  be  by  stairs  of  some  sort," 

"It  would  not  be  difficult  to  climb  it,"  I  as- 
sented, "for  a  man,  that  is,  save  for  one  thing." 

"And  what  is  that?" 

"Those  pinnacles  of  rock  are  as  sharp  as 
needles.  It  would  be  like  climbing  broken 
glass.  The  climber  would  be  cut  to  pieces  be- 
fore he  had  gone  halfway.  See,"  we  ap- 
proached the  wall  closely  and  I  pointed  out  to 
her  how  sharp  the  edges  were.  "If  it  were 
granite  rock  these  ridges  and  splinters  would  be 
weatherworn  and  smooth,  but  this  coral  forma- 
tion is  of  a  different  quality." 

"Then  if  we  find  no  stairs  we  are  in  a  bad 
situation,"  she  said  thoughtfully,  examining  the 
towering  wall. 

"There  must  be  stairs,"  I  answered,  "or  there 
must  be  some  other  way.  The  latitude  and 
longitude  agree  with  your  ancestor's  descrip- 

202 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

tion,  and  I  make  no  doubt  we  shall  chance  upon 
them." 

uBut  if  there  are  none?"  she  persisted. 

"Doubtless  we  '11  find  some  break  to  let  us  up 
or  in,"  I  answered  easily,  evasively  it  may  be,  but 
hopefully,  not  being  minded  to  pass  our  exist- 
ence on  the  narrow  strip  of  sand  on  which  we 
were  walking. 

So  we  tramped  along,  searching  the  shore  and 
sea  and  finding  nothing.  After  perhaps  an 
hour's  monotonous  going,  when  we  had  traversed 
about  a  third  of  the  distance  of  the  island,  we 
rounded  a  projection  of  the  cliff  and  there  before 
us — rose  the  stairs! 

Now  I  know  that  you  who  read  will  accuse 
me  of  fond  invention,  yet  I  have  not  the  wit  or 
the  imagination  of  the  romancer.  I  can  only 
relate  the  facts  as  they  were.  What  we  saw  was 
a  gigantic  stairway,  irregular,  but  made  of  huge 
blocks  of  roughhewn  stone — not  coral  rock,  but 
harder  stone  of  firmer  texture,  like  granite  al- 
most. I  was  not  familiar  with  the  stone  either. 
There  was  no  symmetry  about  the  stairs.  Some 
of  the  stones  rose  perhaps  three  feet,  and  others 
not  more  than  as  many  inches,  but  stairs  they 

203 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

certainly  were,  and  they  surely  had  been  made 
by  man.  The  stones  were  most  carefully  fitted, 
being  laid  up  without  mortar,  the  joints  so  close 
that  I  could  scarce  thrust  a  knife  blade  between. 
The  huge  blocks  were  of  monstrous  size,  too; 
much  too  great  in  bulk  and  weight  to  be  handled 
by  any  but  mechanical  means.  I  never  could 
conceive  how  natives  or  primitive  men  could 
have  shaped  them,  moved  them,  and  finally  laid 
them  up  in  the  form  of  stairs.  I  have  since 
made  inquiries  of  learned  men  and  find  that  for 
all  their  study  they,  too,  are  at  sea  as  to  who 
were  those  mighty  builders  and  how  they 
builded. 

Nor  did  the  stairs  alone  awaken  our  amaze- 
ment and  quicken  our  curiosity.  They  ended  in 
the  circling  belt  of  sand,  here  a  little  wider  than 
elsewhere.  At  the  bottom  on  either  side,  two 
gigantic  statues,  or  busts,  of  stone  had  been 
erected.  Their  bases  were  buried  in  the  sand 
and  they  rose  to  quite  twice  my  height  above, 
anjd  I  am  good  six  feet  tall  and  more.  These 
stones  were  carved  into  the  rough  yet  not  unreal 
likenesses  of  human  faces.  The  carving  had 
been  done  with  marvelous  skill  considering,  and 

204 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

the  faces  were  not  of  the  native  type  either. 
They  were  of  our  type,  only  distorted  and  exag- 
gerated. The  carving  included  the  breast;  one 
was  a  man,  the  other  a  woman.  They  were 
made  of  the  same  hard  pinkish  rock  as  the  stairs, 
and  the  angles  and  projections  upon  them  appar- 
ently had  been  softened  and  smoothed  by  hun- 
dreds of  years  of  exposure  to  the  weather. 
They  were  not  unfamiliar  to  us  either,  for  they 
were,  making  due  allowance  for  size,  just  like 
the  little  image  Sir  Philip  had  brought  back. 
They  had  the  same  enormous  sightless  eyes,  the 
same  long  protruding  jaws,  the  same  hideous 
fang-like  teeth,  the  same  repulsive  features. 
We  looked  at  them  both,  experiencing  a  per- 
fectly natural  and  understandable  feeling  of 
horror  and  disgust.  One  had  lost  his  crown, 
but  the  other  was  intact  as  he  had  left  the 
carver's  hands. 

The  very  size  of  them  intensified  our  disquiet. 
They  were  caricatures  of  course,  but  withal  they 
were  intensely  natural  and  lifelike  and  not  less 
wonderful  than  the  stairs,  over  which  for  cen- 
turies they  had  been  the  silent  watchers  and 
guardians. 

205 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

Certain  I  am  that  you  will  find  it  difficult  to 
credit  these  marvels,  and  will  dismiss  them  per- 
haps as  a  traveler's  idle  tale,  yet  I  have  given 
you  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  island  and 
you  may  go  there  and  see  them  for  yourself  if 
you  desire,  and  you  may  perhaps  find  what 
treasure  we  left  there,  too,  for  a  reward!  When 
you  return  you  can  testify  that  I  lie  not,  but  speak 
the  sober  truth. 

Why  we  had  not  discovered  these  stairs  from 
seaward  was  because  they  did  not  come  squarely 
down  to  the  water's  edge  at  right  angles  to  the 
wall,  but  instead  lay,  as  it  were,  parallel  to  it 
in  a  niche  within  the  wall,  so  that  they  were 
somewhat  sheltered  from  observation  from  the 
sea. 

As  we  broke  upon  them  suddenly,  therefore, 
Mistress  Lucy  clutched  my  arm.  We  naturally 
drew  together  at  the  sight  of  such  gods,  or  devils, 
in  stone. 

"The  giant  stairway!"  she  cried  in  thrilled 
amazement. 

"It  is  indeed,"  I  said  triumphantly,  as  I  real- 
ized what  our  discovery  meant,  "just  as  it  was 
stated  in  the  parchment." 

206 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

"And  the  great  stone  faces,"  she  added  in  a 
voice  in  which  there  was  a  note  of  horror. 

"They,  too,  were  mentioned,  you  remember," 
I  said,  striving  to  speak  cheerfully,  though  I 
was  deeply  impressed  myself. 

"And  just  like  the  little  one  back  in  the  ship." 

"The  very  same,"  was  my  reply. 

"They  were  very  old  two  hundred  years  ago," 
she  commented. 

"Aye,  it  appears  to  me  that  they  must  have 
been  old  a  thousand  years  ago,  or  more,"  I 
assented. 

"Could  those  stairs  have  just  happened  that 
way?  Or  did  someone  build  them,  think  you?" 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  "those  are  the  work  of  men, 
skilled  men,  too,  for  they  are  too  regularly  laid 
up  to  be  by  chance." 

"Yes,  of  course,  and  the  images  could  never 
have  come  there  by  chance,"  she  admitted. 

"Certainly  not,  but  let  us  go  nearer  and  ascend 
them,"  I  said,  taking  her  hand  and  leading  the 
way,  and  she  was  so  preoccupied  that  she  did 
not  notice. 

I  observed,  as  we  approached  the  stairs  that 
207 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

the  rock  had  been  worn  smooth  by  the  wind  and 
weather,  or  maybe  by  the  passing  of  many  feet, 
and  the  steps  were  quite  practicable  for  ascent. 
The  angle  at  which  they  rose  was  sharp,  too. 

"What  is  on  top,  think  you?" 

"I  know  not." 

"Wild  men  or  savage  beasts?"  she  faltered. 

"The  parchment  said  naught  of  animals  or 
permanent  inhabitants  of  this  island,"  I  reas- 
sured her. 

"No,  that  it  did  not,"  she  assented. 

"Well,  then,  let's  chance  it." 

I  had  thrust  the  pistols  in  my  belt,  save  for  the 
one  she  carried,  and  had  the  musket  in  my  hand. 
I  looked  to  the  priming  of  them  so  that  I  could 
depend  upon  them  in  case  of  an  emergency,  al- 
though I  confess  I  did  not  expect  anything  to 
happen.  Save  for  the  sound  of  the  wind  and 
waves  and  our  own  voices  the  place  was  per- 
vaded by  that  sort  of  deadly  stillness  which  indi- 
cated the  absence  of  humanity,  or  even  the  larger 
forms  of  animal  life.  Except  for  the  birds  of 
gorgeous  plumage  and  the  gulls  and  other  sea 
fliers  I  believed  we  were  absolutely  alone  on  the 
island. 

208 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

Then  we  began  the  ascent.  It  was  easy 
enough  for  me,  but  hard  for  her,  and  several 
times  I  made  bold  to  lift  her  up  the  higher 
steps,  which  she  suffered  without  comment  or 
resistance.  She  told  me  long  afterward  that  my 
manner  toward  her  then  and  thereafter  had  been 
perfect.  I  had  determined  in  my  heart  to  show 
her  that  although  I  could  snatch  a  kiss  on  the 
quarter-deck  of  a  crowded  ship,  on  an  island, 
alone,  I  could  treat  her  with  all  the  courtesy  and 
consideration  of  the  very  finest  gentleman  of  her 
acquaintance. 

When  we  at  last  reached  the  top,  before  us  lay 
a  broad  pathway  rudely  paved  with  the  same 
hard  stone.  This  road  led  straight  across  the 
top  of  the  wall  toward  the  interior  of  the  island, 
of  which  we  could  see  as  yet  nothing,  because 
the  wall  hereabouts  was  covered  with  dense, 
luxurious  vegetation  and  seemed  of  great  thick- 
ness, perhaps  a  mile  or  more,  as  we  found  as  we 
traversed  the  way.  Progress  was  difficult  even 
in  the  pathway.  It  would  have  been  impossible 
in  some  places  but  for  my  heavy  cutlass  with 
which  I  cut  a  path  where  the  place  had  become 
overgrown  by  trees  and  bushes  which  had  forced 

209 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

their  way  through  the  cracks,  overturning  and 
breaking  the  heavy  flagstones  and  blocking  up 
the  path,  which,  it  was  evident,  had  not  been 
taversed  for  generations;  perhaps  not  since  the 
old  buccaneer  himself  had  walked  along  it  be- 
neath the  spreading  trees. 

There  was  naught  for  it  but  to  continue  along 
the  rude  paved  way,  for  it  was  impossible  to 
penetrate  the  jungle  on  either  side,  even  if  we 
had  desired  it,  and  once  more  looking  to  my 
weapons,  one  of  which  I  kept  in  hand,  although 
I  was  sure  now  we  should  not  need  them,  and 
had  indeed  nothing  to  fear,  we  followed  the 
ancient  way.  For  perhaps  a  mile  we  pursued 
our  journey  across  the  top  of  the  wall,  winding 
in  and  out  among  the  trees,  through  the  jungle, 
the  path  evidently  seeking  the  most  level  direc- 
tion, for  the  top  of  the  wall  was  very  much 
broken  and  irregular. 

At  last  we  came  to  an  open  spot  on  the  inner 
edge  overlooking  the  whole  island,  and  before 
us  lay  such  a  picture  as  few  eyes,  at  least  of  our 
race,  had  ever  looked  upon.  The  wall  ended 
abruptly  and  fell  downward,  on  the  inner  or 
landward  side,  as  precipitously  as  it  rose  out- 

210 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

wardly  and  to  seaward.  Before  us  lay  a  most 
entrancing  valley,  perhaps  three  or  four  miles 
across,  and  maybe  half  as  long  again  in  the  other 
direction,  and  which  was  walled  about  in  every 
direction.  It  was  sunk  beneath  this  wall  crest 
for  perhaps  one  hundred  feet  or  more.  In  the 
center  of  the  valley  the  land  rose  a  little  higher 
than  the  island  wall,  making  a  very  considerable 
hill,  tree  crowned  on  the  slopes,  but  largely  bare 
save  for  more  images,  on  the  crest.  Through  the 
valley  ran  a  brook  which  ended  in  a  little  lake, 
which  I  suspected  had  some  subterranean  con- 
nection with  the  ocean.  As  far  as  we  could  see, 
and  the  whole  circuit  of  the  island  was  now 
clearly  visible  to  us,  the  enclosing  wall  was 
unbroken.  The  valley  was  filled  with  clusters 
of  trees  and  alternating  stretches  of  grassy 
meadow.  Why  it  was  not  completely  over- 
grown with  trees  I  could  not  imagine.  Perhaps 
the  ground  was  too  shallow  in  places  for  trees 
to  grow. 

We  would  have  been  hard  put  to  it  to  descend 
the  wall  to  the  valley,  but  for  the  fact  that  the 
same  people  who  built  the  stairs  that  gave  access 
to  the  wall  from  the  sea  had  also  built  a  similar 

211 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

flight  which  made  the  descent  to  the  valley  pos- 
sible, indeed  easy.  Before  we  essayed  the 
descent  of  the  stairs,  we  drank  our  fill  of  the 
beauty  and  mysterious  charm  of  it  all.  Indeed, 
there  was  no  sound  that  came  to  us  except  the 
twittering  of  the  birds,  of  which  there  were  many 
brilliantly  plumaged  flitting  in  the  trees.  All 
else  was  still,  lonely,  deserted,  oppressively  so 
in  fact. 

I  was  constrained  to  think  of  our  situation  as 
we  scanned  the  lonely  prospect  in  silence.  A 
man  and  a  maid  cast  away  upon  an  absolutely 
deserted  island  rising  from  the  most  unknown 
and  unfrequented  seas  on  the  globe,  seemingly 
with  no  chance  on  earth  of  escape  therefrom. 
The  one  possibility  of  getting  away,  The  Rose 
of  Devon,  worse  than  useless  to  us  because  of  her 
evil  crew.  What  were  we  to  do?  What  could 
we  expect?  Suppose  we  found  the  treasure,  of 
what  value  would  it  be  to  us? 

I  cursed  myself  for  my  weakness  in  allowing 
my  lady  to  come  upon  this  voyage  of  death  and 
disaster.  I  wished  that  I  had  destroyed  Sir 
Geoffrey's  letter.  And  yet  as  my  glance  fell 
upon  her  my  thoughts  changed.  A  man  and  a 

212 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

maid,  I  have  said.  Distinctions  of  rank  did  not 
exist  in  the  Garden  of  Eden.  This  was  the 
world's  first  morning  again,  and  by  my  side, 
dependent  utterly  upon  me,  stood — Eve!  My 
heart  beat,  my  face  flamed  at  the  thought. 
Here,  if  nowhere  else,  she  might — 

"What  think  you  of  this?"  my  lady  broke  the 
silence,  and  she  broke  more  than  the  silence,  for 
her  words  recalled  me  to  my  better  sense  again. 

"I  do  not  know,"  I  answered,  shamed  in  my 
soul  at  my  imaginings. 

"Is  it  not  like  the  crater  of  an  ancient  extinct 
volcano?"  she  ventured. 

"No,"  said  I,  "these  are  coral  rocks  and  there 
is  no  sign  of  lava  about  them,  yet  it  has  some- 
what of  the  appearance,  especially  that  flattened 
hillock  in  the  center." 

I  have  since  talked  with  many  men  and 
studied  the  writings  of  the  most  learned  geolo- 
gists, and  from  what  I  have  been  able  to  glean 
from  them,  and  the  suggestions  I  have  been  able 
to  give,  it  has  been  fancied  that  perhaps  the 
rocky  projection  in  the  middle  of  the  valley, 
where  later  on  we  saw  the  great  altar  of  sacrifice 
with  its  attendant  idols,  was  the  original  island 

213 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

which  was  once  surrounded  by  a  coral  reef  now 
become  a  wall,  and  that  some  great  upheaval 
had  lifted  the  whole  up  out  of  the  water  in  ages 
gone  by,  and  that  the  barrier  reef  over  which  we 
had  passed  was  the  second  attempt  of  the  busy 
little  insects  to  surround  the  island  again.  And 
indeed,  though  I  know  but  little  about  such 
things,  the  theory  may  well  be  true,  although  it 
gives  no  solution  of  stairs  or  images  or  altars. 
It  seems  easier  to  explain  nature  than  man,  you 
see.  But  these  things,  naturally,  did  not  occur 
to  us  then. 

"What  is  to  be  done  now?"  asked  my  little 
mistress. 

"I  hardly  know,"  I  answered,  staring  at  the 
green  cup  of  the  island,  encircled  by  the  white 
walls,  like  a  great  emerald  wreathed  in  pearls. 
I  should  not  have  thought  of  that  comparison, 
myself,  but  it  occurred  to  my  lady  later,  and  she 
told  me,  so  I  have  put  it  in  to  embellish  this 
rather  dry  narrative  of  mine.  "I  see  no  signs 
of  human  life  or  of  animals,  except  birds,"  I 
continued,  "I  firmly  believe  that  we  are  abso- 
lutely alone  on  the  island." 

Involuntarily,  I  looked  at  her  as  I  spoke, 
214 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

whereat  she  came  instantly  toward  me  without 
hesitation. 

"We  are  alone,"  she  said,  as  if  divining  my 
thought,  "and  I  am  in  your  power.  I  am  weak 
and  you  are  strong,  but — " 

"Madam,"  said  I,  with  all  the  formality  I 
could  infuse  in  voice  and  bearing,  "you  are  as 
safe  with  me  as  if  you  were  in  your  late  father's 
arms,  and  surrounded  by  all  the  people  you 
love." 

"I  know  it  and  I  trust  you,"  she  answered. 
"Indeed,  indeed,  Master  Hampdon,  I  am  glad 
to  be  here,  to  be  away  from  that  awful  ship  of 
death  and  I  believe  this  is  the  island  which  we 
have  been  seeking.  Where  else  in  the  world  is 
there  such  a  wall  and  such  a  flight  of  stairs?  I 
am  sure  the  treasure  will  be  here  and  when  we 
search  for  it  we  shall  find  it." 

"Very  likely,"  I  answered,  "but  what  is  exer- 
cising me  most  now  is,  first  of  all,  what  is  going 
on  in  that  same  mutinous  ship,  and  next  how  we 
shall  finally  get  away  from  here." 

"You  are  impatient,"  returned  my  lady, 
smiling. 

"Impatient  for  you,  madam,"  I  interrupted, 
215 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

checking  myself  from  further  self-revealing 
speech  just  in  time. 

"One  thing  at  a  time,"  she  continued.  "By 
the  favor  of  God,  we  have  escaped  from  the 
murderers  and  mutineers  and  by  His  providence 
we  have  come  safe  across  the  reef.  We  shall  not 
starve  upon  this  island,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  sooner  or  later  you  will  devise  some  means 
for  our  escape.  You  have  done  so  well  so  far 
that  I  feel  quite  confident;  in  fact,  if  Captain 
Matthews  were  with  us,  I  should  feel  almost 
happy." 

This  was  rating  my  power  very  highly  I 
knew,  and  I  felt  that  I  might  not  be  able  to 
justify  her  confidence,  but  if  I  failed  it  would 
not  be  for  lack  of  trying.  It  was  long  past  noon 
by  this  time.  I  made  sure  of  it  by  looking  at 
the  sun  and  confirming  it  by  my  watch  which  I 
most  carefully  kept  running  during  all  our 
sojourn  on  the  island,  which  indicated  close  on 
six  bells,  three  o'clock.  Our  talk  of  the  ship 
recalled  me  to  myself. 

"I  think,"  said  I,  "that  we  had  better  post- 
pone the  exploration  of  the  island  until  another 
day,  and  go  back  to  our  landing  place.  If  I 

216 


THE  WONDROUS  SHORE 

know  the  men  on  that  ship  they  will  guess  that 
we  have  escaped  to  this  island,  and  they  will 
bring  her  round  to  this  side,  where  we  may  have 
them  under  view  and  they  us.  And  I  shall  feel 
safer  and  more  confident  and  comfortable  in  my 
mind  about  your  future  if  my  present  doubts 
as  to  her  whereabouts  be  settled." 

"Think  you  that  they  can  come  at  us?"  she 
asked,  in  sudden  alarm. 

"I  think  not,"  I  answered  confidently,  "but 
still,  to  make  sure,  I  should  like  to  have  them 
under  observation." 

Well,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  we  retraced 
our  steps  over  the  broken  path  until  we  reached 
the  stairs  on  the  other  side.  The  descent  of 
them  was  much  easier  than  the  ascent,  and  by 
four  of  the  clock  we  stepped  on  the  sand  again. 
There  before  us  in  the  offing  was  the  ship. 

We  saw  her  people  quite  plainly  and  I  doubt 
not  they  caught  sight  of  us  immediately  also. 
They  were  scarcely  a  third  of  a  mile  away  from 
the  reef,  perilously  near,  I  thought,  and  we 
could  mark  them  crowding  the  rail  and  staring 
landward.  We  could  see  them  brandishing 
their  weapons  and  we  could  imagine  the  yells 

217 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

which  must  have  arisen  from  the  decks  when 
they  caught  sight  of  us. 

I  stared  at  them  indifferently  enough,  but  not 
so  my  little  mistress.  She  shrank  closer  to  me, 
her  face  paled  and  I  had  all  I  could  do  to  keep 
from  throwing  my  arm  about  her  shoulders.  I 
blessed  God  that  she  was  here  on  the  island  and 
that  I  was  by  her  side,  and  that  neither  of  us 
was  on  the  deck  of  the  ship. 


218 


CHAPTER  XII 

INSIDE  THE  REEF  WHICH  WAS  AT  ONCE 
PROTECTION  AND  PRISON 

THE  ruffians  aboard  the  ship  did  not  con- 
tent themselves  with  simply  staring  at  us, 
for  presently  they  assembled  on  the  port  quarter, 
the  ship  was  under  all  plain  sail  on  the  star- 
board tack  at  the  time,  the  wind  having  fallen 
to  a  gentle  breeze  during  the  day,  and  clam- 
bered into  the  cutter  swinging  at  the  davits.  As 
she  was  lowered  into  the  water  fully  manned, 
Mistress  Lucy  drew  even  closer  to  my  side,  seiz- 
ing my  arm  with  both  hands. 

"Let  us  fly,  they  are  coming  to  take  us!"  she 
cried  in  great  alarm. 

"But  they  are  on  a  vain  errand,"  I  reassured 
her  calmly. 

"But  why?     How  can  you  know  that?    Oh, 
Master  Hampdon,  let  us  hasten  away." 

"We   have   a  protector,"    I    answered   confi- 
dently enough. 

219 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"God?"  asked  she. 

"His  handiwork,"  I  replied,  as  I  indicated 
with  a  gesture  the  barrier  reef  over  which  the 
waves  were  breaking. 

"But  we  passed  it." 

"Yes,  in  a  light  dinghy  and  you  remember 
the  difficulty  and  danger.  They  will  never  sur- 
mount it  in  that  heavy  cutter.  They  will  not 
even  attempt  it,  when  they  have  seen  it  nearer, 
trust  me." 

"But  if  there  should  be  an  opening?" 

"I  don't  believe  there  is  one,"  was  my  reas- 
suring reply.  "We  know  that  there  is  not  one 
on  this  side,  since  we  examined  it  ourselves,  and 
my  careful  inspection  yesterday  did  not  reveal 
any  on  the  other,  and  with  that  conclusion  the 
chart  agrees,  you  remember.  No,  I  have  no 
fear  that  the  crew  of  The  Rose  of  Devon  can  get 
at  us." 

"And  we  can't  get  to  them,"  she  answered 
more  composedly. 

"I  have  no  wish  so  to  do,"  I  laughed. 

"You  don't  understand  me,"  she  persisted, 
"what  keeps  them  out,  keeps  us  in." 

"Yes,"  I  admitted,  "that  is  true,  but  for  the 
220 


INSIDE  THE  REEF 

present  I  don't  mind  being  kept  in,  so  long  as 
they  are  kept  out." 

She  looked  at  me  quickly  and  confessed  after- 
ward that  my  words  begot  some  quick  suspicion 
which  she  admitted  was  unworthy  of  her  and 
unwarranted  by  any  act  of  mine,  but  I  looked  so 
placid  that  it  soon  passed  from  her  mind.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  I  had  not  appreciated  the  sig- 
nificance of  my  words.  I  should  have  been  per- 
fectly willing,  I  should  be  still,  to  pass  the  rest 
of  my  life  alone  on  that  island,  or  anywhere  else 
with  my  lady  only.  She  was  company  enough 
for  me  and  although  we  have  ruffled  it  bravely 
together  since  then,  and  have  even  borne  our 
part  with  dignity  at  the  King's  court,  I  am  hap- 
piest when  she  is  by  my  side  and  no  one  else  is 
near.  I  was  happy  then.  I  had  got  her  to  my- 
self ;  my  little  mistress  must  look  to  me  for  every- 
thing. The  haughty  queen  of  the  quarter-deck 
was  now  the  humble  dependent  of  the  lonely 
island. 

I  did  not  know  what  dangers  lay  before  us, 
what  perils  encompassed  us.  I  could  not  foresee 
how  we  were  to  escape  from  the  Island  of  the 
Stairs,  for  so  we  had  named  it.  Those  thoughts 

221 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

did  not  trouble  me  much.  I  had  brought  her 
safely  from  a  ship  filled  with  mutineers,  pirates, 
and  murderers;  I  had  landed  her  safely  on  the 
island  despite  circling  reefs  and  raging  seas ;  the 
future  could  take  care  of  itself.  Sufficient  unto 
the  day  was  the  evil  thereof — aye,  and  the  good, 
too! 

We  trudged  along  the  sand  parallel  to  the 
course  of  the  boat  which  was  following  the  out- 
ward edge  of  the  barrier  reef  seeking  what  I 
knew  they  would  not  find,  an  entrance  to  the 
lagoon  and  thence  to  the  island.  The  lagoon 
narrowed  in  places,  until,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
roar  of  the  waves  on  the  barrier  reef,  a  hail  could 
easily  have  carried.  I  am  ashamed  to  say  that 
I  used  insulting  gestures  on  occasion,  whereat 
some  of  them  stood  up  in  the  boat  and  shook 
their  fists  in  our  direction. 

I  shall  confess  to  having  taken  much  delight  in 
irritating  them  until  Mistress  Lucy  implored 
me  to  cease.  Thereafter  we  watched  them  in 
grim  silence  and  contempt.  Although  I  was 
sure  they  could  not  reach  us,  their  presence  was 
nevertheless  a  menace  and  a  barrier  to  us.  After 
they  had  rowed  the  length  of  the  island  they 

222 


INSIDE  THE  REEF 

gave  it  up  and  went  back  to  the  ship,  which  had 
followed  their  course. 

By  this  time  the  day  was  far  spent  and  night 
was  at  hand.  We  retraced  our  steps  and  came 
to  the  place  where  I  had  hauled  up  the  dinghy. 
I  now  observed  with  some  pride  that  both  the 
shoes  and  the  dress  I  had  made  for  my  lady 
would  serve  their  purpose.  Meanwhile  we 
both  were  hungry.  The  provisions  we  had 
taken  with  us  we  had  eaten  during  the  journey. 
The  next  business  was  supper.  I  had  noticed 
some  cocoanut  trees  and  other  strange  tropical 
fruits,  so  I  had  no  fear  of  starvation.  We  could 
live  on  the  island  indefinitely,  therefore  I  was 
not  sparing  with  the  provisions.  Feeling  need 
of  something  warming  we  kindled  a  fire  with 
flint,  steel,  and  tinder  from  their  case  in  the 
locker,  and  made  shift  to  boil  some  coffee.  We 
had  neither  milk  nor  sugar,  but  the  taste  of  civi- 
lization did  us  good,  and  our  refreshment  added 
to  our  encouragement. 

For  the  night  I  capsized  the  boat  and  drew  it 
close  against  the  coral  wall,  spread  a  spare  sail 
I  found  in  the  after  locker  and  her  boat  cloak 
which  had  drifted  ashore  and  dried  out  during 

223 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

the  afternoon,  upon  the  clean,  dry  sand,  and  bade 
her  take  her  rest.  It  was  snug,  dry  and  com- 
fortable. 

"But  you?"  she  asked. 

"I  shall  do  very  well  here  with  my  heavy 
jacket  and  I  shall  lie  across  the  stern  of  the  boat, 
between  it  and  the  cliff,  out  of  sight  but  within 
touch  or  call  if  you  need  me." 

"I  am  afraid,"  she  said  softly. 

"Nothing  can  come  to  you  except  over  my 
body  and  I  am  a  light  sleeper.  A  touch,  a  word 
will  arouse  me,"  I  said  reassuringly. 

"I  would  not  have  you  harmed,  either,"  she 
persisted. 

"I  shall  not  be." 

"There  may  be  wild  beasts." 

"I  do  not  think  there  is  an  animal  on  this 
island,"  I  laughed,  "and  we  have  seen  no  signs 
of  man.  The  ship  certainly  would  have  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  someone  had  not  the 
island  been  deserted." 

"But  those  men  out  there?" 

"You  forget  the  rampart  that  God  has  flung 
about  us.  Now,  madam,  you  can  go  to  sleep 
in  safety,  I  assure  you." 

224 


INSIDE  THE  REEF 

"Before  that,"  she  said,  dropping  down  on 
her  knees  in  the  sand  and  motioning  me  to  follow 
her  example,  which  I  did  awkwardly  enough — 
I  hope  I  was  not  a  mocker  or  disbeliever,  but  I 
confess  that  I  did  not  often  bend  the  knee  then 
— "we  will  have  a  prayer  together." 

She  had  slipped  a  little  prayer  book  within 
her  bodice  and  she  now  drew  it  forth  from  her 
canvas  tunic  and  by  the  light  of  the  fire  read 
the  Psalm  of  David  which  begins,  "Out  of  the 
deep  have  I  called  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  Lord  hear 
my  voice."  And  then  she  prayed,  using  some 
of  the  old  collects  of  the  Church  and  adding  one 
of  her  own  making,  in  which  she  besought  God 
to  care  for  us  further,  while  she  thanked  Him 
for  having  raised  up  a  defense  for  her  in  my 
poor  presence,  I  listening  very  humbly  and  say- 
ing a  heartfelt  "Amen"  at  the  end. 

I  shall  never  forget  that  scene;  the  gray  cliff 
towering  high  above  us,  its  crest  lost  in  the  dark- 
ness, the  overturned  boat,  the  white-clad  woman 
kneeling  by  the  fire,  its  light  playing  upon  her 
until  her  face  looked  like  the  face  of  an  angel, 
myself  further  back  in  the  shadow.  It  was  a 
dark,  moonless  night  but  the  stars  shone  with 

225 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

tropical  brilliance  and  in  our  ears  echoed  and 
reechoed  the  crash  of  the  mighty  waves  upon 
the  barrier  which  was  at  once  our  prison  and 
our  fortress.  There  was  a  silence  for  a  little 
space  when  she  had  finished  and  in  that  silence 
I  devoted  myself  before  God  to  her  service 
again,  and  then  we  rose  and  she  gave  me  her 
hand. 

"You  have  been  a  true  knight  and  gentle- 
man," she  said  softly,  her  eyes  shining,  "and  I 
thank  you." 

I  could  only  take  it  dumbly  and  stare  at  her, 
whereat  she  smiled  brightly,  although  her  eyes 
suddenly  filled  with  tears. 

"And  now,"  she  added,  "God  keep  you. 
Good-night." 

I  then  kissed  her  extended  hand,  which  she 
suffered  without  resistance. 

"I  will  leave  you  for  a  little  space,"  said  I, 
"and  so  good-night  and  God  bless  you,  too." 

When  I  came  back  she  was  snug  in  her  place 
under  the  boat.  I  sat  for  a  long  time  before  the 
fire,  thinking  and  making  plans  for  our  escape. 
The  ship  did  not  give  me  much  concern  because 
I  was  sure  she  could  not  come  at  us,  and  in  the 

226 


INSIDE  THE  REEF 

end  she  must  go  away  and  leave  us  alone  with 
the  treasure,  maddening  as  that  might  be. 

It  was  a  strange  fortune  that  had  brought  us 
here.  How  mysteriously  things  had  worked 
out.  The  marriage  of  her  father  and  mother, 
the  last  representatives  of  the  two  lines  that  had 
come  from  the  same  ancestor  but  had  been  sep- 
arated for  a  hundred  and  fifty  years,  which  had 
brought  together  again  the  old  story  of  the 
island,  which  had  been  handed  down  from 
father  to  son,  and  now  to  only  daughter,  during 
those  many  years,  with  the  tradition  explaining 
it;  the  indifference  with  which  her  father,  Sir 
Geoffrey,  had  received  it,  his  leaving  the  parch- 
ment and  the  image  to  her  after  his  death,  the 
discovery  that  her  mother  years  before  had  given 
her  the  other  part  of  the  chart;  the  saving  of  the 
two  thousand  pounds  by  worthy  Master  Ficklin 
from  the  great  estate  which  had  been  dissipated 
by  her  father;  my  own  opportune  appearance  on 
the  scene — I  had  returned  from  an  American 
voyage  a  short  time  before  his  death — her  con- 
sultation with  me ;  her  determination  to  take  the 
money  she  had  and  charter  a  ship ;  our  securing 
The  Rose  of  Devon,  the  enlisting  of  the  crew 

227 


and  the  starting  off  on  this  wild  goose  chase,  and 
what  had  happened  since — I  recalled  them  all. 

At  first  believing,  I  had  come  latterly  to  scoff 
at  the  whole  matter,  and  had  at  last  laughed  to 
myself  at  the  prospect  of  finding  an  island  or 
treasure,  and  had  discredited  the  story  of  the 
old  rover  buccaneer  who  had  captured  the  Span- 
ish treasure  ship,  his  own  having  been  sunk  in  the 
encounter.  Now  I  could  reconstruct  the  whole 
scene.  He  had  manned  the  galleon  with  his 
own  crew  and  they  had  been  wrecked  on  this 
island  reef — if  this  were  the  island — but  the  sea 
had  subsided,  and  filling  the  boats  with  the 
treasure  they  had  hidden  it  in  a  cave  on  the  other 
side  of  the  wall.  The  sailors  had  lived  there  for 
some  years,  but  had  finally  been  attacked  by 
some  natives,  probably  from  the  islands  I  could 
see  dimly  on  the  horizon,  and  they  had  all  been 
killed  except  Captain  Wilberforce,  who  had 
feigned  madness  and  become  tabooed. 

He  had  escaped  in  a  canoe  from  the  other 
islands,  whither  he  had  been  carried,  and  had 
fallen  in  with  a  Spanish  trader,  after  what  voy- 
aging and  suffering  who  could  say?  He  had 
been  trans-shipped  from  one  vessel  to  another 

228 


INSIDE  THE  REEF 

and  finally  reached  his  home,  a  harmless  mad- 
man on  that  subject  his  friends  and  neighbors 
and  even  his  family  thought,  with  the  parch'- 
ment,  the  image,  and  the  tradition  which  he 
bequeathed  to  his  two  children  after  he  recov- 
ered his  wits  before  he  died.  They  had  quar- 
reled, married  apart,  and  lost  sight  of  each  other. 
And  here  we  were,  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  or 
more  after  the  death  of  the  old  Elizabethan  buc- 
caneer, on  his  very  island.  Was  the  treasure 
there  still,  where  the  tradition  said  he  had 
placed  it?  We  should  see.  I  now  believed 
that  it  was. 

A  long  time  I  sat  there  until  I  finally  threw 
myself  down  and  fell  fast  asleep.  I  must  have 
slept  a  long  time  and  soundly  for  I  was  wearied. 
It  was  she  who  awakened  me.  When  I  opened 
my  eyes  and  saw  her  sweet  face  bending  over  me 
and  heard  her  dear  voice  calling  me,  I  declare 
I  almost  felt  as  if  I  had  died  and  gone  to  heaven, 
and  was  being  welcomed  by  an  angel.  But  that 
was  only  for  the  moment.  I  realized  every- 
thing at  once.  She  herself  had  but  just  arisen. 

Our  first  waking  thought  was  for  the  ship. 
She  was  still  there  in  the  offing.  She  had  been 

229 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

hove  to  during  the  night.  I  could  imagine 
what  fierce  debate  and  wrangling  there  had  been 
aboard  her.  The  fact  that  we  had  landed  would 
convince  them  that  the  island  contained  the 
treasure  for  which  they  had  committed  murder, 
and  which  they  could  now  by  no  means  come  at. 
And  that  we  had  escaped  them,  cozened  them, 
and  now  could  be  seen  on  the  beach  braving 
them,  in  no  way  diminished  their  anger.  Even 
if  there  were  no  treasure,  they  would  be  anxious 
to  get  possession  of  us  and  wreak  their  vengeance 
upon  us. 

The  day  that  passed  was  much  like  the  after- 
noon before.  Although  we  were  by  this  time 
persuaded  that  the  reef  was  an  absolute  protec- 
tion, a  vague  possibility  that  they  could  devise 
means  to  pass  it  in  some  way,  kept  us  uneasy  on 
the  sand.  We  must  have  them  under  observa- 
tion. We  were  eager  to  explore  the  beautiful 
vale  enclosed  by  the  huge  rampart,  but  we  did 
not  dare  to  be  where  we  could  not  watch  the 
ship.  We  did  walk  along  the  shore  and  ascend 
the  giant  stairs  in  the  afternoon.  Then  while 
she  watched  the  sea  within  calling  distance  of 
me,  I  managed  to  penetrate  the  jungle  with  axe 

230 


INSIDE  THE  REEF 

in  hand,  so  that  finally  I  made  shift  to  cut  down 
a  cocoa  palm  tree  and  we  gathered  as  many 
delicious  nuts  as  we  could  carry  and  returned  to 
the  shore.  And  we  made  plenty  of  conversation 
easily  during  the  hours  of  watching. 

On  the  ship  we  had  conversed  mainly  about 
business.  Now  we  had  no  business  and  my  lady 
was  pleased  to  look  at  me  in  some  surprise  as  I 
told  her  what  I  guessed  about  the  formation  of 
the  island  and  displayed  unthinkingly  the 
knowledge  of  the  South  Seas  and  other  parts  of 
the  globe  which  I  had  acquired  in  my  long 
studying  and  wide  cruising. 

"Why,  Master  Hampdon,"  she  exclaimed, 
opening  wide  her  beautiful  eyes,  after  I  had  ex- 
plained to  her  something  of  the  nature  of  the 
island  and  how  I  thought  it  had  been  made  and 
the  use  of  the  great  quantities  of  fruits  thereof, 
"you  seem  to  know  more  than  any  of  the  finest 
gentlemen  I  have  ever  been  thrown  with." 

Whereat  I  was  flattered  beyond  measure  and 
showed  it,  but  she  was  kind  enough  not  to  rebuke 
me  for  my  foolish  vanity.  And  indeed  there 
were  not  many — perhaps  even  none  at  all — 
among  her  acquaintance  who  could  have  done 

231 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

for  her  what  I  had ;  they  were  men  of  spirit,  in 
truth,  but  they  lacked  my  experience  and  my 
strength. 

That  night  the  sun  set  amid  lowering  clouds. 
With  a  sailor's  weather  sense,  I  was  sure  that  we 
should  have  a  storm.  Pimball  and  Glibby 
sensed  it  too.  We  could  see  them  making  things 
snug  alow  and  aloft  on  The  Rose  of  Devon. 
They  were  good  enough  seamen,  as  far  as  that 
goes.  The  wind,  if  it  came,  would  be  off  shore, 
and  there  would  be  no  danger  of  the  ship  being 
driven  upon  our  reef,  but  there  were  islands  to 
leeward  which  they  seemed  to  have  forgot  but 
which  I  remembered.  If  it  came  to  blow  hard 
I  would  not  want  to  be  in  the  position  of  The 
Rose  of  Devon,  even  if  I  do  prefer  a  ship  to  the 
shore  in  a  storm,  but  I  want  plenty  of  sea  room 
and  that  the  poor  little  Rose  of  Devon  had  not. 
I  surmised  that  the  attention  of  the  crew  had 
been  so  persistently  fixed  upon  us  that  they  had 
scarcely  ever  glanced  to  leeward  even. 

I  explained  all  this  to  Mistress  Wilberforce 
as  I  made  things  snug  for  the  night.  She  would 
be  perfectly  protected  by  the  overhang  of  the 
cliff  and  the  overturned  boat,  and  I  showed  her, 

232 


INSIDE  THE  REEF 

before  I  left  her  alone  beneath  the  boat,  that  the 
same  overhang  of  the  cliff  would  protect  me 
from  the  wind  and  the  rain  if  the  storm  broke. 
And  so  after  prayers  again  and  a  long  look  sea- 
ward we  went  to  sleep. 

About  midnight,  so  far  as  I  could  judge,  I 
was  awakened.  The  storm  broke  with  all  the 
suddenness  and  intensity  of  the  tropics.  Such 
peals  of  thunder  and  such  flashes  of  lightning  I 
have  never  witnessed  although  I  had  been  in 
many  storms  throughout  the  world.  To  sleep 
further  was  impossible.  Mistress  Lucy  came 
out  from  her  boat  and  stood  beside  me  as  we 
leaned  against  the  cliff  while  the  storm  drove 
harmlessly  over  our  heads. 

We  could  see  the  ship  at  intervals  by  the  vivid 
flashes  of  lightning.  She  was  making  fearful 
weather  of  it.  She  was  always  a  wet  ship  and 
the  huge  waves  fairly  rolled  over  her.  Once  she 
went  over  nearly  on  her  beam  ends  and  I 
thought  she  was  gone.  I  did  not  view  her  posi- 
tion with  a  great  deal  of  regret,  either.  Al- 
though she  could  not  come  at  us,  she  was  a 
terrible  menace.  But  the  next  flash  of  lightning 
showed  that  her  main  topmast  had  gone  by  the 

233 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

board,  or  had  been  cut  away,  so  she  righted. 
Presently  she  drove  off  before  the  wind  with  a 
rag  of  her  foretops'l  still  showing,  and  that  was 
the  last  we  were  to  see  of  her,  we  thought. 
Praise  God,  that  was  not  true  after  all  1 


234 


CHAPTER  XIII 


STORM  bound  under  the  lee  of  the  cliffs, 
we  passed  long  and  anxious  hours  the  next 
day,  although  our  only  misfortune  was  in  the  in- 
clemency of  the  weather  which  kept  us  close  and 
prevented  our  further  exploration  of  the  island 
and  a  search  for  the  treasure.  We  were  com- 
pletely sheltered  and  we  had  plenty  of  the  re- 
freshing milk  of  the  cocoanut  to  vary  our  other 
food.  Nor  did  we  neglect  to  improve  the  rainy 
hours  by  much  pleasant  converse  and  by  further 
work  upon  my  lady's  tunic  and  shoes.  Also  I 
made  her  a  sort  of  hat  out  of  palm  leaves  which 
she  could  tie  upon  her  head  by  further  strips 
from  that  invaluable  and  seemingly  inexhaustible 
skirt  of  hers.  And  I  made  myself  a  head  cov- 
ering of  some  of  the  cloth,  letting  it  fall  low  over 
my  neck,  as  I  had  observed  the  Arabs  at  Aden 
do,  it  being  there  that  the  fierce  heat  of  the  tropic 
sun  centers  its  attack — at  least  I  have  heard  so. 

235 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

The  second  day  after  it  began  the  tempest 
finally  blew  itself  out,  although  the  great  sur- 
ging seas  still  broke  tremendously  over  the  bar- 
rier reef  and  the  spray  shot  a  score  of  feet  or  more 
above  the  crests  of  the  highest  waves.  It  was 
only  the  reflex  of  the  storm,  however,  for  dur- 
ing the  night  the  wind  had  subsided  into  a  gentle 
breeze.  All  was  calm  and  peaceful;  nature 
never  looked  so  bright  and  smiling,  it  seemed  to 
me,  as  at  the  dawn  of  that  eventful  day. 

When  we  scanned  the  sea  early  in  the  morn- 
ing there  was  of  course  no  sign  of  the  ship.  I 
imagined  that  the  hazy  islands  dimly  seen  in 
the  bright  sunlight  on  the  far-off  horizon  could 
tell  a  tale  of  sea  disaster  if  they  would.  Any 
way,  I  did  not  believe  that  we  should  ever  see 
The  Rose  of  Devon  or  her  crew  again.  In  both 
those  beliefs  I  was  mistaken,  as  you  shall  find 
out,  if  having  read  thus  far,  you  have  patience  to 
continue  until  the  end. 

Our  first  inclination,  and  there  was  none  now 
to  intimidate  us,  was  to  mount  the  stairs  again, 
cross  over  the  wall  once  more  and  look  for  that 
cave.  We  had  neither  chart  nor  record  left, 
we  had  but  our  memories  to  trust  to,  but  we 

236 


WE  ENTER  THE  PLACE  OF  HORROR 

were  both  agreed  that  the  cave  lay  in  the  inner 
wall,  and  that  the  parchment  said  it  was  the 
central  one  of  three  adjacent  openings  which 
gave  entrance  to  the  treasure  chamber. 

Now  I  had  noticed  that  the  great  coral  wall, 
both  on  the  outer  and  inner  sides,  was  honey- 
combed with  openings,  rifts,  fissures,  and  caves 
which,  by  the  way,  were  more  frequent  and 
deeper  on  the  inside  face;  why,  I  knew  not. 
We  should  have  been  hard  put  to  it  to  decide 
where  the  cave  lay,  and  should  have  been  com- 
pelled painfully  and  laboriously  to  search  the 
whole  face  of  the  cliff  in  its  extent  of  fifteen  miles 
or  so,  but  for  the  further  direction  of  the  parch- 
ment. I  remembered  that,  sailorlike,  old  Sir 
Philip  had  given  us  a  bearing.  How  did  his 
words  run?  Something  like  this  my  memory 
told  me: 

Toe  fynde  ye  mouthe  of  ye  tresor  cave  take  a  bearing 
alonge  ye  southe  of  ye  three  Goddes  on  ye  Altar  of  Skulles 
on  ye  middel  hille  of  ye  islande.  Where  ye  line  strykes  ye 
bigge  knicke  in  ye  walle  with  ye  talle  palmme,  his  tree,  bee 
three  hoales.  Climbe  ye  stones.  Enter  ye  centre  one.  Yt 
is  there. 

Plainly,  our  first  duty  was  to  descend  into  the 

237 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

enclosed  valley  and  explore  the  hillock  in  the 
center.  I  made  no  doubt  but  that  we  should 
find  some  sort  of  an  altar  and  more  of  those 
curious  and  hideous  stone  images  there.  If 
they  still  remained,  the  rest  of  our  task  would 
be  comparatively  easy. 

With  this  determination,  therefore,  we  set  out. 
As  I  did  not  know  how  long  our  exploration 
would  require,  and  as  I  rather  thought  we  should 
have  to  make  a  day  of  it,  we  started  betimes 
after  a  very  early  breakfast;  indeed,  as  we  in- 
variably retired  shortly  after  sunset,  we  naturally 
rose  at  break  of  day.  I  took  along  food  enough 
for  the  day,  knowing  that  we  could  get  water 
from  the  brooks,  and  fruit  which  I  judged  would 
be  good  for  us  from  the  trees. 

We  went  directly  to  the  stairs,  mounted  them, 
and  stared  about  us  in  amazement.  The  storm 
had  been  a  frightful  one.  We  had  not  been  able 
to  estimate  its  power  from  where  we  had  been 
sheltered  on  the  lee  side  of  the  island,  but  here 
the  uprooted  trees  and  the  wide  swaths  cut  in 
the  jungle  on  the  top  of  the  wall  showed  its 
terrific  force.  I  had  no  need  for  my  axe.  There 
were  cocoanuts  upon  the  ground  and  other  fruit 

238 


WE  ENTER  THE  PLACE  OF  HORROR 

which  would  all  rot  away  before  we  could  con- 
sume a  hundredth  part  of  it.  Within  the  shelter 
of  the  island  cup,  as  we  were  presently  aware, 
less  damage  had  been  done,  still  even  there  the 
ravages  of  the  tempest  were  widely  manifest. 

Delaying  but  little  on  the  top  of  the  wall,  we 
crossed  it  rapidly  and  finally  entered  the  valley. 
It  was  with  a  feeling  of  awe  that  we  stood  for  the 
first  time  fairly  within  the  vast  cup  at  the  foot 
of  the  inner  stairs,  completely  shut  out  from  the 
world  by  the  great  towering  rampart  of  rock 
which  entirely  enclosed  us.  I  had  never  felt 
so  far  removed  from  the  world  as  then.  Out- 
side, of  course,  the  limitless  ocean  ran  beyond 
the  barrier  reef,  but  one  could  follow  it  unto  the 
dim,  far-off  distance  with  his  vision ;  within  the 
cup  the  glance  fell  upon  the  rocky  wall  on  every 
hand.  It  was  almost  like  being  in  a  prison,  for 
all  its  tropic  loveliness.  It  was  strangely  still, 
too.  There  was  no  wind  down  where  we  were. 
We  could  no  longer  hear  the  ceaseless  splash  of 
the  breakers  on  the  barrier.  The  calm  must 
have  been  like  that  of  the  world's  first  morning, 
when  God  walked  in  the  garden  and  saw  that  it 
was  fair.  We  were  alone  in  it  too.  Ah,  this 

239 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

Adam  dared  not  look  at  this  Eve,  lest  he  should 
find  her  all  too  fair. 

Beneath  the  trees  and  quite  invisible  from 
above,  a  paved  road  or  path,  barely  wide  enough 
for  four  to  walk  abreast,  extended  straight  across 
the  island  to  the  hillock  in  the  middle,  while 
smaller  paths  seemed  to  follow  the  course  of 
the  walls  on  either  side.  The  ground  was 
gently  rolling,  and  the  road,  though  overgrown 
in  places  and  badly  broken,  was  in  much  better 
condition  than  the  broader  path  on  the  top  of 
the  wall.  I  suppose  the  fact  that  it  was  sheltered 
protected  it.  We  passed  along  it  for  a  mile  and 
a  half  without  much  difficulty;  as  usual,  hearing 
nothing,  except  the  breeze  in  the  palms  and  the 
birds  in  the  thicket.  We  went  in  silence  mainly. 
We  had  so  far  progressed  in  good  comradeship 
that  talking,  unless  we  had  something  especial  to 
say,  was  not  necessary.  And  the  stillness  about 
us  did  not  move  us  to  speech. 

Finally  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  hillock. 
As  I  observed  from  the  wall,  it  was  grass-grown 
and  palm  tree  clad.  Indeed  we  should  have 
been  hard  put  to  it  to  have  ascended  it,  so  dense 
was  the  vegetation,  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact 

240 


WE  ENTER  THE  PLACE  OF  HORROR 

that  the  path  was  continued  around  the  hill  con- 
stantly mounting.  Where  it  ran  the  somewhat 
shallow  earth  had  been  cut  away  on  the  hill- 
side, and  the  rocky  surface  laid  bare.  Of  course, 
this  path  was  frightfully  overgrown,  and  ren- 
dered further  impassable  by  the  trunks  of  trees 
which  had  fallen  across  it;  some,  from  their 
freshness,  probably  cast  there  by  the  storm  of 
the  night  before.  We  managed  it,  however, 
and  as  our  identification  of  the  place  of  the 
treasure  depended  upon  our  reaching  the  crest 
of  the  mound,  we  were  compelled  to  climb  it 
or  give  over  the  search.  Leaving  most  of  our 
baggage  behind,  including  my  coat,  for  the 
day  was  now  hot,  we  began  the  ascent. 

We  went  on  with  the  utmost  care.  I  cau- 
tioned my  lady  that  she  must  on  no  account  move 
recklessly.  A  broken  leg  or  a  sprained  ankle 
would  place  us  at  a  terrible  disadvantage,  and  be 
a  most  serious  hardship,  and  she  must  avoid  the 
possibility  at  all  costs.  I  assure  you  I  was 
equally  careful  of  myself,  too.  It  was  intensely 
hot  under  the  thick  shade  of  the  trees  where  the 
breeze  had  no  chance  to  penetrate,  and  I  was 
sweating  mightily  when  I  finally  drew  my  com- 

241 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

panion,  her  face  bedewed  almost  as  much  as  my 
own,  up  the  last  steep  ascent  and  stood  upon  the 
crest. 

We  could  see  now  why  the  top  of  the  hill 
had  seemed  level  when  we  first  looked  at  it  from 
the  wall.  Indeed,  the  coral  rock  rose  in  a  kind 
of  sharp,  bold  escarpment  eight  or  ten  feet  above 
the  adjacent  tree  tops,  making  a  sort  of  tableland 
or  platform.  This  level,  probably  artificial, 
had  been  paved  with  the  reddish-gray  rock  of 
the  stairs  and  statues,  and  pathways  and  trees, 
perhaps  artificially  planted  or  more  probably  the 
result  of  Nature's  sowing,  grew  here  and  there 
in  open  places  in  the  pavement.  I  may  say 
in  passing,  that  in  all  our  exploration  of  the 
island,  which  however  was  not  very  thorough  or 
complete  owing  to  our  limited  stay  upon  it,  we 
saw  no  quarry  whence  this  hard,  pink  rock  could 
have  been  taken. 

The  only  satisfactory  solution  was  that  it  had 
been  brought  there  across  the  seas  by  the 
makers  of  the  monuments  and  stairs,  whoever 
they  might  have  been.  They  must  have  had 
large,  seaworthy  vessels  and  adequate  means  of 
land  transportation,  to  say  nothing  of  a  most  con- 

242 


WE  ENTER  THE  PLACE  OF  HORROR 

siderable  engineering  ability  to  accomplish  these 
mighty  works. 

Well,  the  level  top  of  the  hillock  was  in  shape 
a  parallelogram,  in  extent  perhaps  an  acre  and 
a  half.  It  was  the  most  curious  place  I  have 
ever  seen.  In  the  middle  of  it,  with  its  four 
sides  parallel  to  the  sides  of  the  plateau,  was  a 
huge  stone  platform  or  altar,  perhaps  one 
hundred  feet  long  by  seventy  feet  wide.  Com- 
pletely surrounding  this  altar,  some  distance 
away  from  it  so  as  to  make  an  aisle  perhaps  ten 
feet  in  width,  rose  a  line  of  huge  statues  carved, 
like  those  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  into  the  sem- 
blance of  monstrous  and  repulsive  human  faces. 
I  judged  that  some  of  them  were  at  least  thirty 
feet  from  mid  breast  to  the  top  of  their  crowns. 
Not  one  of  them  was  like  another.  There  was 
variation  in  each  just  as  there  is  variation  in  hu- 
man faces. 

All  were  ugly  and  horrible,  namelessly  evil, 
but  all  were  lifelike  and  were,  singularly  enough, 
European.  Yet  that  a  European  could  have 
carved  these  statues  was  beyond  the  wildest  pos- 
sibility. I  have  since  thought,  and  others  have 
thought  also,  that  perhaps  the  primitive  men 

243 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

who  erected  that  altar  to  some  unknown  god 
might  have  been  men  of  the  same  racial  stock  as 
ourselves  way  back  in  the  dim  days  of  the  world's 
first  morning. 

At  any  rate,  these  statues  or  images  rose  at 
the  breast  from  a  kind  of  terrace  a  foot  or  so 
above  the  level  of  the  platform,  paved  as  else- 
where. They  formed  a  sort  of  cloister  or  col- 
onnade around  the  central  platform  which  rose 
twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  above.  A  few  of 
them  had  fallen  down,  but  the  more  part  were 
standing  as  their  carvers  or  builders  had  left 
them.  On  the  center  of  the  raised  platform  or 
altar,  stood  three  more  of  the  same  monster 
busts,  placed  one  after  another,  the  largest  one 
being  in  the  middle.  They  were  in  line,  all 
looking  in  the  same  direction  which  my  pocket 
compass  told  me  was  somewhat  to  the  north  of 
northwest  by  west.  They  were  staring,  there- 
fore, into  the  general  direction  of  the  setting  sun. 

At  the  front,  or  west,  end,  the  great  platform 
was  approached  by  a  flight  of  steps.  The  stones 
of  the  pavement  were  so  cunningly  fitted  together 
that  only  here  and  there  had  a  seed  lodged  and 
grass  grown,  except  where  the  palm  trees  had 

244 


WE  ENTER  THE  PLACE  OF  HORROR 

sprung  up,  breaking  the  pavement.  The  stones 
of  the  platform  or  altar  and  the  approaching 
stairs  were  also  laid  up  without  mortar  and  fitted 
in  the  same  way.  How  savages  with  probably 
nothing  but  stone  knives  could  have  so  perfectly 
trued  and  fitted  the  surfaces  of  such  huge  stones, 
to  say  nothing  of  moving  them  at  all,  was,  I  con- 
fess, beyond  me;  but  so  it  was.  The  altar  was 
in  good  repair,  indeed  so  massive  was  it,  and  so 
well  made,  that  nothing  short  of  an  earthquake 
could  disturb  it. 

Standing  so  high,  the  fierce  winds  that  swept 
over  the  plateau  and  platforms  had  probably  as- 
sisted in  keeping  it  clear  of  vegetation,  of  any- 
thing in  fact,  for  save  for  the  few  scattered  palm 
trees,  it  was  as  bare  as  the  palm  of  my  hand. 
And  indeed,  cleaner,  for  although  my  lady  had 
brought  with  her  some  soap,  I,  not  knowing  how 
long  we  should  be  on  the  island  and  realizing 
her  dainty  habit  and  what  a  deprivation  it 
would  be  to  her  to  be  without  it,  refrained  from 
using  it  and  cleaned  myself  as  well  as  I  could 
with  water  and  sea  sand,  a  poor  substitute  for 
soap  as  you  can  well  imagine. 

Well,  we  stood  upon  the  platform  and  sur- 

245 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

veyed  the  scene  in  silent  awe.  Nothing  in  the 
parchment  had  led  us  to  suspect  all  this,  although 
I  recollected  the  mention  of  the  stone  faces  look- 
ing toward  the  niche  under  the  big  palm  tree, 
the  spot  in  the  wall  by  which  we  were  to  locate 
the  treasure  cave. 

"Come,"  said  I  at  last,  breaking  the  silence, 
"we  will  have  a  nearer  look  at  these  gentry." 

"It  seems  like  the  temple  of  a  vanished  race," 
breathed  my  lady  softly,  staring  about  her  in 
growing  wonder. 

"Aye,  and  of  vanished  gods,"  said  I,  extending 
my  hand. 

There  was  something  weird  and  eerie  about 
the  plateau  and  we  felt  better  for  the  warm 
touch  of  each  other's  hand;  at  least  I  did.  I 
always  felt  happier  when  I  touched  her  little 
hand,  but  in  this  instance  the  feeling  was  some- 
what different.  In  a  certain  sense  it  seemed 
like  profanation  for  us  to  be  there,  yet  we  went 
on  steadily,  if  slowly.  We  passed  by  the  col- 
onnade of  statues,  around  the  inner  platform,  and 
deliberately  mounted  the  stairs. 

Something,  I  know  not  what,  made  me  bid 
my  mistress  pause  before  we  reached  the  top, 

246 


WE  ENTER  THE  PLACE  OF  HORROR 

and  I  looked  to  my  pistol,  and  loosened  my 
sword  in  its  sheath  as  I  did  so,  although  why  I 
did  so,  and  what  I  anticipated,  I  cannot  say.  At 
any  rate,  I  mounted  to  the  top  alone.  There 
before  me  lay  a  platform  which  was  sunk  be- 
neath me  for  a  depth  of  two  feet  and  which  was 
surrounded  by  a  low  wall  on  the  top  of  which  I 
stood.  The  three  images  rose  from  a  smaller 
platform  on  a  level  with  the  top  of  this  wall  in 
the  midst,  and  the  whole  place  was  filled  with 
a  horrible  and  frightful  mass  of  human  bones. 
Skulls,  legs,  thighs  and  smaller  bones  heaped  in 
terrible  confusion  lay  bleaching  before  me,  and 
the  space  between  them  was  filled  with  a  fine 
dust,  doubtless  the  dust  of  earlier  bones  which 
had  moldered  away  through  centuries.  Those 
that  still  preserved  their  shape  were  the  top  layer 
and  were  bleached  perfectly  white.  They  lay 
in  all  directions  as  if  they  had  been  cast  aside 
carelessly  and  at  random,  yet  there  were  indica- 
tions that  there  had  been  a  path  from  where  I 
stood  to  the  platform  of  the  three  images,  which 
platform  I  perceived  was  just  about  wide  enough 
to  lay  a  human  body  on  it  at  the  base  of  the 
first  image. 

247 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

I  stared  apprehensively,  I  must  confess,  at  this 
frightful  charnel  house  of  the  centuries.  The 
only  evidence  of  humanity  we  had  discovered 
on  that  island  were  these  bleached  and  molder- 
ing  skeletons.  I  would  have  prevented  her,  but 
my  mistress  suddenly  came  up  and  stood  by  my 
side.  Then  I  thought  she  would  have  fainted 
as  the  full  horror  of  the  scene  burst  upon  her. 

"Men  have  been  here,"  she  faltered,  "horrible, 
cruel  men." 

"Yes,"  said  I,  "but  centuries  ago.  Look,  the 
bones  are  bleached  white.  You  have  naught  to 
fear." 

"Let  us  leave  this  frightful  place,"  she 
whispered. 

"Presently,"  I  answered,  "but  you  will  re- 
member the  directions  of  the  chart.  I  must 
stand  upon  yonder  altar  and  get  my  bearings. 
The  treasure  cave  should  be  in  line  with  the 
statues  and  a  niche  or  depression  in  the  wall  on 
the  further  side." 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "I  remember." 

"Well  then,"  I  said,  "  will  you  go  down  to 
the  platform  out  of  sight  of  this  horrible  place 
and  wait  for  me  there?" 

248 


"No,"  she  answered  nervously,  "Master 
Hampdon,  wherever  you  go  I  must  go.  I  can 
never  be  left  alone  upon  this  island." 

I  tried  gently  to  dissuade  her,  but,  as  usual, 
she  would  have  her  way  so  that  at  last  I  gave  in 
perforce. 

"Well  then,"  said  I,  "at  least  let  me  go  be- 
fore." 

I  stepped  down  into  the  great  receptacle 
meaning  to  clear  the  way  with  my  feet  by 
kicking  aside  the  layer  of  bones,  and,  on  my  ex- 
tending my  arm  behind  me  with  both  her  hands 
caught  in  mine,  she  followed  me  down  into  the 
enclosure.  Of  course  we  had  to  walk  upon  the 
broken  remnants  of  humanity,  but  I  thrust  aside 
as  well  as  I  could  the  larger  pieces  and  skulls, 
and  she,  I  afterward  learned,  followed  with  her 
eyes  tightly  closed,  trusting  entirely  to  my  guid- 
ance. Indeed  she  clung  to  my  hand  with  all 
the  nervous  strength  and  power  she  possessed. 

So  we  finally  reached  the  platform.  I  lifted 
her  up  on  it  and  followed  myself.  We  were  not 
the  first  human  beings  who  had  been  lifted  to 
that  ghastly  platform,  I  was  sure,  and  as  I  stood 
there  I  could  hear  in  my  imagination  the  pro- 

249 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

testing,  shrieking,  struggling  captives  about  to 
be  immolated.  I  could  close  my  eyes  and 
see  the  blood  dripping  down  the  sides  of  the 
altar,  as  the  breast  of  the  bound  victim  was 
pierced  with  the  stone  knife  and  his  beating 
heart  torn  out  and  lifted  up  in  the  face  of  these 
devilish  and  horrible  gods  by  the  terrible  priests 
of  the  ghastly  sacrifice.  It  required  little  effort 
to  reconstruct  the  fearful  cannibalistic  orgies  on 
the  platform  below,  in  honor  of  whatever  awful 
deity  they  worshiped.  I  did  not  let  myself 
dwell  upon  it,  nor  did  I  say  anything  about  it; 
and  my  mistress  knew  too  little  about  such  mat- 
ters in  her  sweetness  and  innocence  and  purity 
to  have  such  thoughts  as  mine — thank  God! 

I  led  her  carefully  around  the  altar  platform 
therefore,  until  we  could  stand  at  the  rear  end 
by  the  side  of  the  line  of  statues  and  look  across 
the  island.  Sure  enough,  there  was  the  niche  or 
depression  in  the  wall  which  Sir  Philip  had 
mentioned,  although  the  "bigge  palmme  tree" 
was  gone,  or  else  lost  amid  hundreds  of  trees 
like  it.  Beneath  it,  careful  scrutiny  showed  a 
rough  pyramid  of  stone  leading  up  to  what 
seemed  to  be  openings  in  the  cliff  wall. 

250 


WE  ENTER  THE  PLACE  OF  HORROR 

So  far  every  detail  in  the  old  buccaneer's 
parchment  was  absolutely  correct.  I  was  cer- 
tain now  that  the  treasure  was  there,  and  that  we 
could  find  it.  And  a  certain  exaltation  filled  me. 
At  least,  we  had  not  come  upon  a  fool's  errand, 
though  what  good  the  treasure  would  do  us  in 
our  present  case  after  we  had  found  it,  I  did 
not  stop  to  consider. 

"See,"  I  pointed  out  to  my  little  lady,  "follow- 
ing the  edge  of  the  three  statues  here  with  your 
eyes,  the  nick  or  break  in  the  wall  of  the  cliff 
is  right  in  line." 

"I  see,"  she  said. 

"And  below  it,"  I  continued,  "for  your  bright 
eyes  are  perhaps  keener  than  mine  which  have 
looked  into  the  salt  seas  and  over  the  glare  of 
water  blazing  in  the  sun  for  so  many  years,  what 
can  you  make  out?" 

"I  see  above  the  tree  tops  what  looks  like 
a  pyramid-shaped  heap  of  stones,  the  stones  of 
which  Sir  Philip  spoke,  perhaps." 

"Yes,"  I  replied  excitedly,  "and  at  the  top, 
at  the  apex,  what?" 

"There  is  a  darker  opening  in  the  wall  be- 
tween two  others." 

251 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"The  treasure  will  be  there,"  said  I  confi- 
dently. 

"Let  us  go  to  it,"  she  shuddered,  looking  about 
her.  "I  don't  wonder  that  Sir  Philip  came  back 
a  madman  if  he  lived  for  long  in  the  presence 
of  this." 

"We  have  nothing  more  to  do  here,"  I 
answered,  as  I  led  the  way  to  the  edge  of  the 
low  altar. 

I  leaped  down  and  then  turned  to  help  her. 
She  was  very  white  and  I  thought  she  was  going 
to  faint.  I  don't  blame  her,  the  surroundings 
were  so  terrible.  I  acted  promptly,  reaching  up 
and  taking  her  in  my  arms  and  carrying  her  as 
if  she  had  been  a  baby;  and  indeed  she  was  no 
great  burden  for  me.  Her  head  dropped  to  my 
shoulder.  I  did  not  know  whether  she  had 
fainted  or  not.  Her  eyes  were  closed.  I  ran 
swiftly  across  the  enclosure,  descended  the  steps 
and  without  hesitation  turned  to  the  edge  of 
the  cliff.  I  stopped  there,  cursing  myself  for 
not  having  brought  any  water,  but  as  I  stopped 
she  opened  her  eyes. 

"You  are  safe,"  said  I  gently,  setting  her  on 
her  feet  again,  "the  horrors  are  all  behind  us. 

252 


WE  ENTER  THE  PLACE  OF  HORROR 

See,  there  is  before  you  naught  but  the  beautiful 
greenery  of  the  island,  and— 

An  expression  of  gratitude  came  across  her 
face. 

"Let  us  go  down,"  she  replied.  "We  must 
never  come  near  here  again." 

"Please  God,  no,"  I  repeated,  as  we  retraced 
our  steps  down  the  cliff  and  along  the  winding 
path,  Mistress  Lucy  gaining  strength  and  color 
as  we  passed  at  last  out  of  sight  of  the  hideous 
platform. 


253 


CHAPTER  XIV 

WHEREIN   WE   FIND   THE  TREASURE 

IT  was  necessary  to  retrace  our  steps  along 
the  path  to  the  foot  of  the  great  stairs  in  the 
island  wall.  There  were  treeless  meadows  here 
and  there  on  the  way,  where  we  rested,  and  a 
lovely  brook  of  cool,  delicious  water  where  we 
broke  our  fast,  though  it  was  not  yet  noon ;  but 
the  openings  or  clearings  all  stopped  before  they 
reached  the  foot  of  the  outer  wall  which  was 
almost  hidden  in  vegetation.  I  remembered 
the  paths  which  had  led  off  on  either  side  from 
the  stairs,  too.  We  followed  one  to  the  north 
easily  enough.  It  was  not  like  the  highway 
over  which  we  had  just  come,  being  only  par- 
tially paved,  although  it  had  once  been 
thoroughly  cleared,  and  the  rise  of  the  wall  was 
such  that  it  was  still  practicable.  We  turned 
to  the  right,  plunged  beneath  the  trees  and 
pressed  resolutely  on,  keeping  as  close  to  the 
main  wall  as  possible. 

254 


WE  FIND  THE  TREASURE 

This  wall  to  our  left  was  dotted  with  openings 
of  caves,  but  none  of  them  seemed  to  fit  the 
description  we  carried  in  our  memories.  The 
undergrowth  deepened  and  grew  denser  as  we 
progressed,  and  finally  I  had  to  open  a  way  with 
my  axe.  The  tangled  masses  soon  gave  way  be- 
fore my  sturdy  energy,  and  at  last  we  entered  a 
considerable  open  space  which  extended  to  the 
wall.  There  above  us  were  the  three  openings 
beneath  the  depression  in  the  crest;  surely 
enough,  the  one  in  the  middle  being  greater  than 
the  others.  I  deemed  that  the  entrance  would 
be  high  enough  to  admit  me,  who  am  much 
above  the  usual  stature,  without  bending  my 
head.  It  was  elevated  halfway  up  the  surface 
of  the  cliff,  and  the  only  approach  to  it  was  by 
the  great  heap  of  stones,  not  laid  up  with  the 
order  and  regularity  of  the  giant  stairs,  but 
apparently  piled  together  haphazard  by  people 
unskilled  to  make  any  other  practical  way  of 
ascent. 

It  was  difficult  enough  for  us  to  climb  just  as 
it  was.  The  heap  of  stones  evidently  had  not 
been  mounted  for  years,  and  the  stones  had 
broken  and  fallen  away  in  many  places.  In- 

255 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

deed,  we  had  to  rebuild  the  pile  here  and  there, 
which  entailed  some  hours  of  arduous  labor  on 
my  part,  in  which  my  lady  would  participate  un- 
til I  laughingly  threatened  to  take  my  belt  and 
strap  her  to  the  nearest  tree  unless  she  desisted. 
Whereat,  smiling  strangely,  she  stopped  and,  sit- 
ting down  near  by,  watched  me  at  work  in 
silence. 

Reaching  the  top  at  last  we  stood  on  a  shelf 
in  front  of  the  cave  mouth.  I  peered  within  but 
could  see  nothing  but  the  blackness.  When  we 
left  the  ship  we  had  taken  a  lantern  and  a  few 
candles,  you  remember.  I  had  brought  the 
lantern  with  me  that  day.  We  now  lighted  it 
with  the  flint  and  steel  and  tinder  and  stepped 
silently  in.  My  lady  followed  me  close,  being, 
as  she  had  said,  unwilling  to  be  left  alone,  and 
ever  ready  to  face  any  peril  in  my  company. 

Above  the  low  entrance  the  cave  wall  within 
rose  to  a  height  of  perhaps  twenty  feet,  making 
a  vast  vaulted  chamber  with  Gothic  suggestions 
about  it,  for  the  coral,  before  it  hardened,  had 
been  built  into  curious  shapes  and  fantastic 
figures.  We  did  not  notice  this  so  much  at  first, 
for  with  a  wild  shriek,  my  gentle  companion 

256 


WE  FIND  THE  TREASURE 

suddenly  caught  my  arm  and  pointed  down- 
ward. 

The  floor,  like  that  of  the  central  altar  on 
the  hill  we  had  just  left,  was  covered  with 
human  bones,  a  gruesome  sight  for  anyone,  and 
certainly  for  a  woman,  and  made  more  grue- 
some because  of  the  dull  lighting  of  the  cave. 
These  bones  also  were  bleached  white  and  had 
evidently  been  there  a  long  time.  We  could 
scarcely  take  a  step  without  treading  upon  them. 
I  had  all  I  could  do  to  keep  my  mistress  from 
running  back  toward  the  mouth  and  thence 
to  the  ground  and  it  was  not  until  I  had  reas- 
sured her  again  and  again  that  she  would  consent 
to  go  on  further. 

As  we  had  been  compelled  to  pass  on  by  our 
desire  to  get  our  bearings  before,  so  if  we  were 
to  get  the  treasure  we  would  have  to  suffer  this 
now.  I  think  if  it  had  not  been  that  her  pre- 
vious experience  on  the  hillock  had  somehow 
given  her  some  confidence,  my  lady  could  not 
have  endured  this  sight,  treasure  or  no  treasure. 
But  she  was  a  brave  woman  and  when  I  urged 
that  we  were  not  to  be  balked  in  our  search  of 
thousands  of  leagues  by  dead  men's  bones  which, 

257 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

though  horrible,  were  after  all  quite  harmless, 
she  summoned  her  courage  and  we  went  on. 

As  our  eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  light, 
for  indeed  the  candle  lantern  cast  but  a  dim 
radiance  over  the  vast  apartment  and  the  en- 
trance was  so  small  comparatively  that  little 
daylight  came  through,  we  saw  off  to  the  right 
against  that  side  of  the  cave  the  same  kind  of  an 
altar  built  of  the  same  stones  as  on  the  hill, 
though  much  smaller  and  surmounted  by  a 
similar  image  as  ugly  as  the  others,  though 
nearer  the  human  size.  Bones  of  human  beings, 
men,  women  and  children  I  judged  from  the 
difference  in  sizes,  lay  before  it,  and  there  were 
heaps  of  bones  on  the  floor  around  it.  It  came 
across  me  that  it  was  another  altar  of  sacrifice, 
and  that  the  worshipers  had  also  been  eaters 
of  flesh — cannibals!  For  I  reasoned  that  in  that 
island  and  especially  in  that  dry  cave,  the  bodies 
of  the  sacrificed  would  have  been  dried  up, 
assuming  the  shape  of  mummies,  if  left  to  them- 
selves. And  I  wondered  if  every  cave  possessed 
a  similar  altar,  and  if  the  whole  island  had 
simply  been  a  place  of  sacrifice  and  death  for 
some  prehistoric  race  living  in  other  islands 

258 


WE  FIND  THE  TREASURE 

round  about,  like  those  on  the  horizon  we  could 
still  see;  or  perhaps  long  ages  ago  engulfed  in 
some  great  cataclysm  of  nature  and  sunk  be- 
neath the  ocean  these  thousands  of  years  and 
then  raised  again. 

Turning  away  from  the  altar  to  the  right  we 
found  the  way  clear,  and  with  a  sigh  of  relief  I 
drew  Mistress  Lucy  reluctantly  on.  She  clung 
to  me  and  was  so  frightened  that  I  finally  slipped 
my  arm  about  her  waist,  whereat  she  made  no 
objection.  She  has  confessed  since  that  she  was 
indeed  greatly  pleased  and  that  it  was  a  comfort 
to  her  to  feel  the  strength  and  power  of  my 
grasp. 

Holding  the  lantern  before  me,  I  cautiously 
proceeded  further  into  the  cave  toward  the  inner 
wall.  The  cave  wall  apparently  opened  out  into 
rooms.  I  did  not  dare  go  any  distance  from  the 
main  entrance  for  fear  that  I  should  lose  my  way, 
so  I  stopped  undecided  what  to  do;  which  open- 
ing to  enter,  that  is. 

"Oh,  let  us  go  back,"  begged  my  mistress, 
"there  is  no  treasure  here,  I  am  sure." 

"Nay,"  I  answered,  "with  your  permission, 
Mistress  Wilberforce,  I  intend  to  explore 

259 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

further  into  the  matter.  Let  us  see."  I  held 
the  lantern  high  above  my  head  as  I  spoke. 
There  above  the  entrance  I  saw  a  rude  Latin 
cross!  "Look,"  I  continued,  "someone  has  been 
here,  't  is  the  sign  of  the  cross!" 

"Yes,"  she  said,  her  hopes  reviving  and  her 
spirits  returning  a  little  at  the  unwonted  sight 
of  that  sacred  symbol  of  our  faith  in  this  place  of 
idolatry  and  superstition,  "don't  you  remember 
on  the  map  marking  the  position  of  the  cave 
there  was  a  little  cross?" 

"So  there  was,"  I  exclaimed,  "although  the 
reading  did  not  mention  it." 

"No,  but  it  is  there,  nevertheless." 

I  stooped  down — the  entrance  was  scarcely 
three  feet  high  but  quite  broad — and  made  to  go 
through. 

"Wait!"  She  seized  me  in  great  alarm. 
"You  cannot  go  in  there  and  leave  me  here,"  she 
cried. 

"I  promise  you  that  I  will  not  stir  three  feet 
from  the  entrance,  if  you  will  suffer  me  that 
far,"  I  answered. 

"I  must  come,  too,  then,"  she  urged. 

"I  will  see  what  is  there  first,  and  if  it  is  safe 
260 


you  shall  come  with  me  immediately,"  I 
answered,  giving  her  no  time  for  further 
objection. 

As  I  spoke,  I  crawled  through  and  found 
myself  in  another  smaller  chamber.  There 
being  no  visible  danger,  I  stretched  out  my  hand 
to  her  and  brought  her  through  after  me.  From 
some  distant  crevice  the  air  came  to  us,  we  could 
feel  it  blow  upon  us,  and  it  was  sweet.  Also  I 
could  hear  water  bubbling  over  rocks  in  the 
distance.  It  was  a  little  damp  in  the  cave,  per- 
haps because  of  that.  There  was  little  light, 
however,  save  that  cast  by  the  lantern.  I  could 
not  see  the  further  wall. 

We  did  not  need  to  go  further  into  the  cave, 
for  there  before  us,  clearly  enough  revealed  by 
the  dim  radiance  of  the  lamp,  lay  a  number  of 
large  wooden  boxes  or  chests,  moldy  and  ancient. 
The  boxes  had  once  been  iron  strapped,  but  we 
found  the  iron  had  rusted  and  the  wood  had 
rotted.  I  stepped  over  to  one  of  them,  lifted 
the  lid  which  crumbled  at  my  touch,  and  there 
was  the  treasure — ingots  of  gold  and  silver! 
Thousands  of  pounds  lay  to  our  hands!  The 
old  buccaneer  had  told  the  truth.  The  story  of 

261 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

the  parchment  was  not  a  romance,  the  plunder 
of  the  ancient  galleon  was  there. 

I  have  read,  as  you  all  have,  the  great  romance 
of  Daniel  DeFoe,  and  the  uselessness  of  this  mass 
of  gold  and  silver  of  which  the  Spaniards  had 
robbed  the  natives,  making  them  toil  to  death 
in  the  mines,  for  which  Sir  Philip  Wilberforce's 
men  had  fought  and  died,  for  which  the  men 
on  The  Rose  of  Devon  had  committed  murder, 
and  which,  had  we  been  able  to  dispose  of  it, 
would  have  bought  anything  the  world  had  to 
offer,  came  home  to  me,  as  in  similar  circum- 
stances Robinson  Crusoe  had  the  same  thought. 
For  my  part  I  would  gladly  have  exchanged  it 
all  for  a  stout  boat  and  a  clear  passage  through 
the  reef  with  a  chance  for  freedom. 

"Well,  your  great-great-great-grandfather, 
for  how  many  generations  back  I  know  not,  was 
right,"  I  said  at  last.  "The  treasure  is  here  and 
we  have  found  it.  It  is  yours." 

"Yes,"  she  said,  to  whom  the  same  thought 
had  come,  "but  now  that  we  have  found  it  of 
what  value  or  use  is  it?" 

"None,"  I  admitted,  "that  I  can  see  that  is, 
but  there  is  a  certain  satisfaction  in  having 

262 


WE  FIND  THE  TREASURE 

found  it,  and  in  knowing  that  you  can  own  it 
even  if  you  cannot  take  it  away.  I  am  glad 
that  events  have  proved  that  we  came  on  no 
fool's  errand." 

"And  what  may  be  its  value,  think  you?" 

"It  would  make  good  ballast  for  a  ship,"  I 
answered  lightly. 

"But  if  we  could  take  it  hence  to  England?" 

"Millions,  I  can  only  guess." 

"I  will  give  you  one-half  of  it  for  your  share," 
she  said,  laughing  softly. 

"I  want  none  of  it,"  I  returned  seriously 
enough. 

What  possessed  her  to  do  it,  I  know  not,  and 
she  has  since  confessed  she  knows  not  either. 
We  stood  there,  looking  down  upon  the  useless 
heap  of  treasure,  when  she  turned  to  me  on  a 
sudden. 

"Now  that  you  have  seen  it,  are  you  still  of 
the  same  mind,"  she  asked  mischievously,  "that 
you  would  give  up  your  portion  of  the  treasure 
—for  me?" 

"Great  God!"  I  exclaimed,  moved  beyond 
measure  by  her  imprudent  remark,  and  thrown 
off  my  balance  by  her — dare  I  say  coquetry?  "I 

263 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

would  give  up  the  world  itself  for  you.  Don't 
you  know  it?" 

And  I  made  a  step  toward  her,  but  she  put  up 
her  hand. 

"Hush!  stay!  Master  Hampdon,"  she  cried 
affrighted  at  the  consequences  of  her  pleasantry, 
"remember — " 

"I  shall  never  forget,"  I  said  grimly.  "This 
treasure  removes  you  further  away  from  me  than 


ever." 


"What  mean  you?" 

"When  you  get  back  to  England  and  take 
your  place  once  more  among  your  friends  in 
that  society  to  which  your  birth  entitles  you  and 
which  this  wealth  will  enable  you  to  sustain — " 

"And  who  is  to  take  me  back  to  England?" 

«T  »» 

"How?" 

"I  know  not,  but  I  shall  do  it." 

"And  with  the  treasure?" 

"With  the  treasure,  too,  at  least  a  sufficiency 
of  it  for  all  your  needs." 

"And  when  you  have  done  this  amazing  thing 
for  me,  you  expect  to  disappear  from  my  life, 
Master  Hampdon?" 

264 


WE  FIND  THE  TREASURE 

"Aye,  if  need  be." 

She  laughed,  and  F  did  not  understand  the 
meaning  of  that  laugh,  either. 

"Is  it  not  idle  for  us  to  speculate  upon  treas- 
ures which  we  cannot  carry  hence,  and  which 
in  our  present  situation  are  not  so  useful  to  us 
as  the  little  pieces  of  flint  and  steel  with  the 
tinder  in  the  pocket  of  your  coat?"  she  asked, 
smiling. 

"You  are  right,"  I  answered,  smiling  in  turn, 
although  what  it  cost  me  to  smile  in  the  face  of 
the  picture  of  the  future  that  came  to  me,  you 
cannot  imagine.  "But  let  us  search  and  see  if 
there  be  anything  else.  Your  ancestor  spoke  of 
jewels." 

"Yes,"  she  said,  "there  should  be  a  smaller 
casket,  let  us  look  further." 

There  were  perhaps  a  dozen  large  boxes.  I 
opened  them  all.  Some  were  quite  empty,  with 
little  piles  of  dust  in  them,  and  a  few  shreds  of 
color  here  and  there  which  indicated  silk  had 
been  packed  in  them.  There  were  also  broken 
barrels  around  which  still  clung  a  faint  odor 
of  spices.  There  were  piles  of  rotted  debris 
further  on,  and  as  I  stirred  one  of  them  with 

265 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

my  sheath  sword  I  struck  something  more 
solid.  I  brushed  aside  what  seemed  to  be 
the  decayed  remains  of  cordage  and  wood 
and  finally  came  upon  a  smaller  casket  bound, 
strapped,  hinged,  and  cornered  with  some 
kind  of  metal  which  I  afterward  found  to  be 
silver — iron  would  have  rusted  long  since.  The 
casket  was  about  a  foot  long  by  six  inches  wide 
and  six  inches  deep.  The  metal  which  com- 
pletely covered  it  was  curiously  chased.  The 
casket  was  locked.  I  crumbled  the  wood  in  my 
hands,  but  could  not  open  the  lock.  The  edge 
of  my  axe,  however,  proved  a  potent  key  and  at 
last  I  forced  it  apart.  As  I  did  so  out  fell  a 
little  heap  of  what  I  judged  to  be  precious 
stones.  There  were  green,  red,  blue,  and  white 
ones,  among  them  many  pearls  sadly  discolored 
and  valueless.  The  stones  glistened  with  an 
almost  living  energy.  My  mistress  was  more 
familiar  with  these  things  than  I,  and  I  presented 
a  handful  to  her. 

"Why,  they  are  precious  stones!"  she  cried,  in 
an  awe-struck  whisper.  "Look,"  she  held  up  a 
diamond  as  big  as  her  thumb  nail;  it  sparkled 
like  a  sun  in  the  candlelight.  "And  there  is  an 

266 


WE  FIND  THE  TREASURE 

emerald,"  she  cried,  picking  up  one  of  the  green 
stones,  "this  blue  one  is  a  sapphire,  this  a  ruby. 
Why,"  she  exclaimed,  "here  is  a  fortune  alone. 
These  jewels  must  be  of  fabulous  value.  The 
gold  and  silver  we  might  leave  behind,  but  these 
we  can  carry  with  us." 

In  my  heart  I  was  sorry  we  had  found  them, 
yet  I  had  the  grace  immediately  to  say, 

"I  am  glad  for  that.  We  must  gather  them 
up,  but  where  shall  we  put  them?" 

"In  the  pockets  of  your  coat  for  the  present," 
she  answered. 

Now  there  were  not  so  many  of  them,  per- 
haps three  or  four  handfuls,  not  nearly  enough 
to  fill  the  casket.  I  figured  that  it  had  been  a 
jewel  box  with  little  trays  or  drawers,  and  that 
the  stones  had  been  wrapped  separately  but  had 
all  fallen  together  when  the  partitions  rotted 
away.  I  easily  found  room  for  them  in  the 
capacious  side  pockets  of  my  coat  and  then  we 
turned  back  to  the  outer  room.  Passing  by  the 
hideous  altar  we  gained  the  open  day  again.  It 
was  now  late  in  the  afternoon,  we  found  to  our 
surprise.  And  yet  how  sweet  it  was,  that  outer 
air,  after  those  caves  of  death  and  treasure! 

267 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

We  had  spent  hours  over  the  search,  and  we 
had  just  time  to  retrace  our  steps  and  get  back 
to  the  boat  on  the  beach  and  partake  of  our  eve- 
ning meal  when  night  fell.  As  we  sat  by  the  fire 
that  night,  I  made  two  little  bags  out  of  a  piece 
of  canvas  taken  from  a  bread  bag,  and  we  put 
the  jewels  into  them,  dividing  them  into  equal 
parts.  One  bag  she  wore  constantly  thereafter 
on  her  person,  and  I  the  other. 

My  mistress  was  at  first  anxious  to  stow  them 
away  in  some  crack  or  cranny  of  the  rock,  but  I 
said,  I  scarcely  knew  why,  that  it  would  be  better 
to  keep  them  always  with  us,  and  so  we  did. 
She  insisted  that  the  rough  and  ready  division 
we  had  made  was  permanent,  that  the  bag  I 
carried  belonged  to  me  and  the  bag  she  carried 
belonged  to  her.  (But  I  refused  to  have  it  so  in 
spite  of  her  argument  and  there  we  left  it. 


268 


CHAPTER  XV 

WHEREIN  THE  SERPENT  ENTERS  THE  EDEN 

DURING  the  next  two  or  three  days  we 
leisurely  explored  the  island.  There 
was  much  in  it  of  interest,  of  course,  but  nothing 
else  which  merits  any  particular  description  or 
has  any  bearing  on  this  story.  We  did  not  again 
visit  the  central  hill,  nor  did  we  enter  any  other 
cave.  We  did  not  even  go  near  the  treasure 
cave  again,  on  the  contrary  we  kept  to  the  open. 
There  were  charming  groves  within  the  walls, 
but  we  could  not  bear  to  be  shut  up  within  the 
great  cup.  It  seemed  not  unlike  a  prison  to  us. 
Outside  we  could  at  least  see  the  vast  expanse 
of  the  restless  ocean.  We  chose  to  live  near  the 
sea  on  the  beach  which  was  high  above  all  tides 
and  which  was  far  removed  from  the  charnel 
spots  which  made  a  mockery  of  the  sylvan 
groves  within  the  walls.  The  island  was  well 
provided  with  tropical  fruits,  many  being  good 
for  food,  as  I  knew.  We  caught  fish  in  the 

269 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

lagoon  and  turtle  on  the  sand.  We  could  make 
a  fire  and  cook  our  food.  There  was  salt  in 
plenty.  My  tailoring  and  cobbling  stood  the 
test.  We  lacked  nothing  to  make  us  comfort- 
able, even  happy,  except  the  means  of  escape. 
My  comrade  was  never  in  better  health  in  her 
life.  Roses  bloomed  in  her  cheeks  again  and  I 
— I  was  more  than  contented  in  her  society. 

We  spent  our  days  in  trying  to  devise  some 
means  of  getting  across  the  reef  and  back  home 
again,  that  is  when  I  was  not  idly  lying  at  the 
feet  or  following  the  footsteps  of  the  woman  I 
loved.  I  did  n't  want  to  get  away  so  far  as  I 
was  concerned.  I  did  n't  care  whether  we  ever 
got  away.  I  had  wit  enough  not  to  let  her  see, 
not  to  let  her  suspect  that  for  a  moment,  how- 
ever— at  least  I  made  the  endeavor — and  I  tried 
to  convince  her  by  my  actions  at  least  that  my 
kissing  her  on  the  ship  had  been  but  a  momentary 
madness,  but  I  learned  later  that  I  failed  lam- 
entably. She  says  now  that  a  baby  could  see 
that  I  was  dying  for  her,  and  I  suppose  it  is  true, 
but  at  least  I  didn't  say  anything.  After  that 
outbreak  in  the  cave  I  kept  silence. 

As  I  look  back  upon  those  days  I  scarcely 
270 


THE  SERPENT  ENTERS  THE  EDEN 

think  she  treated  me  kindly,  and  yet  I  know  not. 
I  was  at  once  happy  and  miserable — very  happy 
in  her  presence,  very  miserable  in  the  thought 
that  I  was  and  could  be  nothing  to  her.  She 
played  upon  me  as  if  I  had  been  a  pipe,  she  led 
me  on  and  she  repelled  me,  she  drew  me  and  she 
drove  me.  I  had  wit,  however,  to  see  that  she 
was  enjoying  it,  even  if  I  did  not;  and  I  was  in 
some  measure  content  that  she  should  be  glad. 
It  was  a  fool's  paradise  in  which  we  lived.  We 
had  no  care,  nothing  could  touch  us,  nothing 
could  hurt  us — at  least  so  we  fancied.  We  had 
water  in  plenty  and  enough  to  eat  of  pleasant 
variety,  fruit,  fish  fresh  caught  from  the  lagoon, 
the  meat  and  eggs  of  the  turtle,  relieved  by  the 
edibles  we  had  brought  from  the  ship,  of  which 
we  still  had  some  small  store  left.  The  air  was 
soft  and  balmy,  the  birds  sang,  the  flowers 
bloomed.  We  were  young,  I  loved  blindly,  pas- 
sionately; she,  as  I  know  now  though  I  never 
suspected  it  then,  with  her  beautiful  eyes  open 
— that  is  if  eyes  that  love  are  ever  open.  Eden, 
Eden!  Ah  it  was  there! 

We  made  frequent  trips  up  the  stairs  and  into 
the  cup  of  the  island,  we  traversed  as  much  of 

271 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

the  wall  as  possible,  although  that  was  but  little 
because  the  sharp,  jagged  edges  when  we  left 
the  path  would  have  cut  our  feet  to  pieces.  We 
fished,  we  launched  the  boat  on  the  lagoon  and 
rowed  clear  around  the  island.  I  left  her  some- 
times that  she  might  refresh  herself  in  dips 
within  the  cool  water,  while  I  did  the  same 
further  away  and  out  of  sight.  Like  Adam  and 
Eve  we  lived  in  that  Garden  and  dallied  with  the 
forbidden  fruit  even  if  we  did  not  eat  it.  Aye, 
and  the  serpent  came,  as  of  old,  into  that  soft 
Pacific  Paradise. 

Late  one  afternoon  we  stood  at  the  head  of 
the  stairs  looking  seaward.  We  had  come  from 
a  long  ramble  throughout  the  cup  of  the  island 
and  as  we  stood  on  the  top  our  gaze  as  usual 
instinctively  turned  toward  the  sea,  perhaps  seek- 
ing for  the  sail  of  some  rescuing  ship.  The 
water  was  black  with  great  formidable  looking 
war  canoes ! 

We  could  not  believe  our  eyes  at  first.  We 
stared  at  the  water  in  amazement,  motionless, 
awe-struck,  appalled.  This  time  it  was  I  who 
came  to  my  senses  first. 

"Great  God!"  I  cried,  "look  yonder." 
272 


THE  SERPENT  ENTERS  THE  EDEN 

"I  see,  I  see,"  she  cried,  in  turn.  "Who  can 
they  be?" 

"Dwellers  from  the  other  islands  to  the  west- 
ward," I  answered. 

They  could  not  see  us  yet  fortunately  but,  after 
all,  that  mattered  little  save  as  a  temporary 
respite.  Strangely  enough,  my  lady  did  not 
seem  to  be  nearly  so  disturbed  as  I. 

"The  reef  will  protect  us  again,"  she  said  at 
last,  looking  at  me  confidently. 

"Not  for  a  moment,"  I  answered,  "they  will 
ride  that  reef  in  those  light  canoes  more  easily 
than  we  did." 

"And  you  think — "  she  instantly  began. 

"Our  lives  are  in  God's  hands.  If  I  know 
anything  these  will  be  ferocious,  bloodthirsty 
savages.  See,  they  are  armed." 

I  pointed  to  one  tall  brown  man  who  stood  up 
in  the  bow  of  the  nearest  canoe,  flourishing  a 
broad-bladed  spear. 

"We  must  hide,"  she  said. 

"But  where?  They  will  search  the  whole 
island  as  soon  as  they  discover  our  boat  and 
other  belongings  and  realize  that  some  strangers 
are  here.  Where  can  we  find  concealment?" 

273 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"In  the  treasure  cave,  of  course,"  she  answered 
promptly. 

And  indeed  that  was  the  most  likely  spot. 
We  had  brought  but  little  with  us  that  afternoon. 
I  had  thrust  a  brace  of  pistols  in  my  belt  and  she 
herself,  by  my  advice,  always  carried  her  two 
smaller  ones,  and  I  had  my  sword  and  axe,  but 
everything  else  was  with  the  boat  on  the  beach 
under  the  cliff.  For  a  moment  I  thought  of  run- 
ning down  there  and  getting  some  of  our  things, 
but  as  I  half  turned  to  descend  the  stairs,  she 
detained  me,  divining  my  purpose. 

"No,  no,"  she  urged,  clasping  my  arm  with 
both  hands,  "we  must  make  shift  with  what  we 
have.  You  could  not  go  and  come  in  time. 
Perhaps  they  may  not  discover  us,  they  may  not 
understand  the  boat  if  they  are  only  savages. 
We  can  hide  safely  until  they  depart,  it  may  be. 
Come,  let  us  go." 

There  was  sense  in  her  remarks.  It  might  be 
that  after  performing  some  awful  worship  these 
most  unwelcome  visitors  would  return  as  they 
came.  And  by  keeping  closely  hid  we  might 
escape  an  encounter  with  them.  As  ever  in  the 
emergency  she  gave  the  better  counsel.  Never- 

274 


THE  SERPENT  ENTERS  THE  EDEN 

theless,  I  deplored  more  than  I  can  say  that  I 
could  not  get  to  the  arms  and  other  things  under 
the  cliff  on  the  beach  near  the  boat.  They 
would  certainly  find  everything  as  soon  as  they 
crossed  the  reef  and  landed,  although  what  it 
would  tell  them  and  what  they  would  do  only 
time  would  determine.  But  there  was  no  help 
for  that  now.  We  had  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad 
situation. 

We  turned  and  ran  back  down  the  path  across 
the  wall.  I  had  forethought  to  gather  a  num- 
ber of  cocoanuts  and  some  other  fruit  as  we 
passed.  I  filled  my  own  pockets  and  then  she 
made  a  bag  out  of  her  tunic  and  carried  the  rest. 
Presently  I  reflected  that  we  had  no  need  for 
such  haste.  There  would  be  plenty  of  time  for 
us  to  reach  the  cave  and  conceal  ourselves  long 
before  they  landed,  so  we  progressed  more 
slowly.  It  was  almost  dusk  when  we  reached 
our  shelter.  I  had  uprooted  a  small  tree  just 
before  we  started  to  climb  the  pile  of  stones 
which  I  used  as  a  lever  to  push  down  the  heap 
in  every  direction  as  we  climbed  so  that  it  would 
be  impossible  for  anyone  else  to  enter  the  cave 
without  piling  up  the  stones  again.  We  passed 

275 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

by  the  stone  altar  and  its  skeletons,  crept  into  the 
inner  room,  flung  ourselves  panting  upon  the 
sand  and  there  we  waited. 

In  that  secret  and  secluded  shelter  I  thought 
that  we  were  safe  for  the  time  being.  Espe- 
cially was  I  sure  that  they  would  make  no  effort 
to  find  us  at  night,  as  the  place  had  anciently 
been  some  sort  of  a  shrine  and  was  probably  held 
sacred  still.  And  in  the  morning  I  did  not 
think  that  they  would  chance  upon  that  par- 
ticular cave  out  of  the  many  in  the  coral  walls 
without  a  long  search,  unless  they  had  proposed 
coming  just  there  for  other  reasons  than  we 
attributed  to  them.  Even  if  they  did  stumble 
upon  our  hiding  place  early  in  the  hunt,  which 
I  felt  sure  would  be  made  for  us  as  soon  as  they 
discovered  evidences  of  our  presence  on  the 
island  in  the  shape  of  the  dinghy,  or  at  least  at 
daybreak,  it  would  take  them  some  time  to  re- 
build the  pyramid  of  rock  against  the  wall 
again;  and  when  they  did  enter  the  outer 
room  they  would  find  it  a  matter  of  extreme  dif- 
ficulty to  get  into  the  inner  chamber  so  long  as  I 
was  there.  Unfortunately,  we  had  brought  no 
powder  and  ball  with  us.  We  had  no  means  of 

276 


THE  SERPENT  ENTERS  THE  EDEN 

reloading  our  firearms,  once  they  had  been  dis- 
charged. I  resolved  to  reserve  the  four  pistols 
we  had  for  the  last  emergency.  For  other  weap- 
ons I  had  my  axe  and  sword,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  loose  stones  and  even  of  the  human  skulls 
about  the  altar. 

I  have  said,  I  think,  that  the  inner  cave  was 
slightly  damp.  The  dampness  rose  from  a 
spring  of  water  which  bubbled  away  in  some 
dark  corner  which  we  had  not  cared  to  explore. 
We  had  what  provisions  we  had  brought  with 
us  left  over  from  our  luncheon,  which  I  had 
luckily  preserved  instead  of  throwing  them 
away,  and  an  armful  of  cocoanuts  and  other 
fruit.  These,  however,  would  last  us  but  a  short 
while.  If  they  could  not  come  at  us  by  force, 
they  could  easily  starve  us  out.  Also  they  could, 
without  too  much  trouble  or  danger,  make  them- 
selves masters  of  the  outer  cave.  Indeed,  I 
scarcely  thought  it  would  be  wise  for  me  to  at- 
tempt to  prevent  that,  and  in  that  case  they  could 
wall  up  the  entrance  and  leave  us  there. 

It  did  not  occur  to  us  for  a  single  moment  that 
they  had  any  knowledge  of  the  treasure,  and  that 
they  could  be  after  that.  Not  for  even  the 

277 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

thousandth  part  of  a  second  did  I  dream  the 
savages  were  led  by  Pimball,  Glibby,  and  most 
of  the  other  seamen  of  The  Rose  of  Devon.  I 
did  not  know  then,  although  I  have  since  heard 
the  whole  story  from  the  survivors,  that  The 
Rose  of  Devon  had  gone  ashore  in  the  terrific 
storm  I  have  described,  there  had  been  a  battle 
with  the  savages  who  sought  to  plunder  the  ship, 
but  which  was  prevented  at  frightful  loss  to  the 
islanders  who  were  unable  to  contend  success- 
fully against  the  firearms  with  which  the  ship 
was  so  abundantly  provided.  A  means  of  com- 
munication between  the  ship  and  the  shore  had 
been  found  subsequently,  through  one  of  the  sea- 
men who  had  sailed  the  South  Seas.  The  sav- 
ages had  been  told  of  the  treasure,  of  which 
indeed  they  had  some  dim  traditions  from  days 
gone  by;  they  also  held  the  cave  as  one  of  their 
most  sacred  spots,  scarcely  less  sacred  than  the 
great  altar  on  the  hillock  in  the  center  of  the 
island,  for  what  reason  I  cannot  tell. 

By  some  persuasion,  I  know  not  what,  Pim- 
ball and  Glibby  had  won  them  over.  Together 
they  had  organized  an  expedition  to  come  and 
seize  us  and  take  the  treasure.  The  Rose  of 

278 


THE  SERPENT  ENTERS  THE  EDEN 

Devon  was  not  badly  damaged,  she  had  been 
floated  and  found  to  be  still  seaworthy.  The 
savages  naturally  cared  little  or  nothing  for  the 
gold  or  silver,  and  I  divined  later  that  Pimball 
had  promised  to  turn  us  over  to  them  for  such 
purposes  as  the  reader  can  well  imagine.  After 
tortures,  we  would  inevitably  be  killed  and  eaten. 

I  did  not  figure  this  out  then,  of  course.  If 
I  had  guessed  it,  I  believe  I  should  have  been 
so  blindly  furious  that  I  should  have  sallied  out 
and  attacked  them  at  the  giant  stairs.  Indeed, 
that  would  have  been  no  bad  place  for  defense 
if  the  stairway  had  been  but  a  little  narrower. 
Had  I  been  alone  perhaps  I  should  have  defied 
them  there,  but  I  had  my  lady  to  look  to  and  I 
dared  take  no  chances.  I  could  not  force  the 
fighting. 

We  sat  silent  in  the  cave  for  a  long  time.  I 
had  not  lighted  the  ship's  lantern  we  had  left 
there  at  our  last  visit,  having  no  use  for  it  else- 
where on  the  island,  since  we  went  to  bed  at  dark 
and  rose  at  dawn,  for  some  of  the  light  of  the  dy- 
ing day  filtered  through  from  the  outside  cave. 
There  was  nothing  that  we  needed  light  for 
anyway.  We  sat  close  together  on  the  remains 

279 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

of  one  of  the  chests  to  protect  us  from  the  damp 
sand.  I  always  carried  with  me  a  flask  of 
spirits.  Not  that  I  am  a  drinking  man,  I  left 
and  still  leave  that  practice  to  the  gallants  of  the 
day,  but  I  have  found  it  useful  in  some  dire 
emergency,  and  now  as  Mistress  Lucy  shivered 
in  the  chill,  damp  air,  I  heartened  her  and 
strengthened  her  with  a  dram. 

As  it  was  summer  and  not  far  from  the  line, 
I  had  not  brought  the  boat  cloak  with  us.  I 
had  not  even  worn  my  sailor's  jacket,  but  my 
mutilated  leather  waistcoat  was  heavy  and  warm 
and  I  was  thankful  that  I  had  it.  The  pieces 
which  I  had  cut  from  it  for  the  soles  of  her 
little  shoes  had  not  spoiled  it  for  wear  either, 
since  I  had  been  careful  in  their  selection.  I 
took  it  off  and  despite  her  protestations  slipped 
it  on  her.  In  girth  it  was  big  enough  to  en- 
circle her  twice,  which  was  all  the  better  for 
her  comfort.  I  drew  it  around  to  cover  her 
breast  with  a  double  fold  and  with  a  length  of 
line  I  had  in  my  pocket  I  made  it  fast.  We  sat 
close  together  and  talked  in  low  whispers  and 
I  thrilled  at  the  contact  of  her  sweet  presence  in 
spite  of  our  peril. 

280 


THE  SERPENT  ENTERS  THE  EDEN 

How  long  we  talked  or  how  long  we  waited 
I  have  no  means  of  telling.  It  grew  dark  in 
the  cave  very  early  and  when  I  ventured  into  the 
outside  room  after  what  seemed  an  interminable 
wait,  I  found  night  had  fallen.  I  felt  pretty 
sure  that  we  need  apprehend  no  attack  that  night 
and  yet  it  was  necessary  to  keep  watch,  so  I  pro- 
posed that  one  of  us  should  sleep  while  the  other 
listened.  Naturally  she  was  the  first  to  take 
rest.  It  was  too  damp  and  cold  to  lie  down  on 
the  sand,  so  I  wedged  myself  against  one  of  the 
least  rotted  of  the  chests  whose  shape  had  been 
kept  intact  by  the  pile  of  gold  and  silver  bars  it 
had  contained,  and  somewhat  hesitatingly  of- 
fered her  the  shelter  of  my  arm. 

"Madam,"  I  said,  with  all  the  formality  I 
could  muster,  "you  must  have  sleep.  You  cannot 
lie  upon  this  damp  sand,  it  is  bad  enough  to  sit 
upon  it;  but  upon  my  shoulder  and  within  the 
support  of  my  arm  you  shall  have  rest." 

"I  trust  you,"  she  replied,  coming  closer  to 
me,  "and  if  I  am  to  sleep  I  know  that  I  shall  be 
safe  within  your  arms." 

"As  my  sister,  had  I  one,  or  as  my  mother, 
were  she  alive  and  here,  will  I  support  you," 

281 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

said  I,  which  was,  I  must  admit,  untrue,  for  I 
had  a  great  to-do  to  keep  my  arm  from  trem- 
bling, and  I  felt  sure  she  would  hear  my  heart 
throbbing  madly  when  she  nestled  close  to  me, 
her  head  upon  my  shoulder.  And  she  has  since 
admitted  that  she  did  feel  the  tremor  and  hear 
the  throb,  whereat  she  was  most  glad.  But 
I  knew  nothing  of  that  then,  nor  for  a  long  time 
after. 

Before  she  closed  her  eyes,  however,  she  made 
her  evening  prayer  for  herself  and  for  me,  and 
then  she  made  me  promise  that  I  would  awaken 
her  when  I  judged  it  to  be  midnight,  and  upon 
my  promise  she  nestled  down  and  went  to  sleep, 
her  head  upon  my  shoulder.  Surely  never  had 
man  a  more  precious  charge  than  I  that  night! 

I  sat  there  motionless,  my  bared  sword  at  my 
side,  listening.  I  could  hear  nothing,  no  sound 
except  her  soft  breathing  and  once  in  a  while 
the  sough  of  the  night  wind  through  the  trees 
outside,  which  penetrated  faintly  into  the  cave, 
and  at  more  infrequent  intervals  the  cry  of  some 
night  bird  came  to  me,  but  there  was  no  sound 
of  humanity.  How  long  I  sat  there,  I  know 
not.  It  was  my  purpose  to  keep  awake  the  night 

282 


I 


THE  SERPENT  ENTERS  THE  EDEN 

through,  and  I  think  I  must  have  kept  awake  the 
greater  part  thereof,  but  toward  morning  my 
head  dropped  back  on  the  pile  of  ingots  and  I 
fell  asleep.  Yet  I  did  not  relax  my  clasp  upon 
the  sleeping  figure  lying  upon  my  breast.  It 
was  she  who  awakened  when  the  dim  light  began 
to  sift  through  the  narrow  opening  into  the  little 
cave  where  we  sat. 


283 


CHAPTER  XVI 

IN  WHICH  WE  ARE  BELEAGUERED  IN  THE  CAVE 

"  IV/f  ASTER  HAMPTON,"  she  said,  bend- 

.1.Y  JL  inS  over  me>  having  arisen  without 
disturbing  me,  "it  is  morning." 

I  sprang  to  my  feet  instantly,  as  she  shook  me 
gently,  and  grasped  my  sword  as  I  did  so, 
whereat  she  laughed. 

"Why  did  you  not  awaken  me?"  she  asked 
reprovingly. 

"I  don't  know,  I  must  have — "  I  began  in 
great  confusion. 

"You  must  have  gone  to  sleep  yourself,"  she 
laughed  again,  and  I  marveled,  but  thankfully, 
to  see  her  so  cheerful. 

"I  am  ashamed,"  I  replied,  "that  I  should 
have  failed  in  my  duty  to  keep  good  watch.  I 
did  n't  awaken  you  when  I  might  because  you 
needed  sleep  yourself,  and  then  like  a  great 
animal  I  went  to  sleep  myself." 

"I  am  glad,"  she  said,  smiling  at  me,  and  I 
284 


BELEAGUERED  IN  THE  CAVE 

could  just  see  her  lovely  face  faintly  in  the  dark 
twilight  of  the  cave,  "that  you  did  since  nothing 
happened." 

"It  is  just  as  well  then,"  I  said,  smiling  in  turn, 
"we  have  both  slept  soundly  and  well.  I  feel 
greatly  refreshed." 

"And  I." 

"Thank  God,"  I  said  fervently. 

"What  is  to  be  done  now?"  she  asked. 

"First  breakfast." 

I  broke  open  a  cocoanut  with  my  axe,  I  had 
become  expert  at  it,  and  we  had  food  and  drink 
in  plenty,  and  for  variety  some  of  the  hard  bread 
which  still  remained  and  other  fruit.  I  lighted 
the  lantern  for  a  moment  and  went  toward  the 
sound  of  the  falling  water.  The  cocoanut  shell 
made  an  excellent  cup  and  I  brought  her  enough 
clear,  cool,  sweet  water  to  lave  her  face  and 
hands.  Save  for  the  stiffness  of  the  constrained 
position  and  some  slight  pain  caused  by  the  damp 
we  were  both  fit  for  any  adventure.  Well,  we 
should  have  need  of  all  our  strength  doubtless. 
When  we  finished  our  meal  and  our  refreshing 
ablutions,  she  looked  at  me  inquiringly. 

"Well,  what  next?" 

285 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"The  next  thing,"  said  I,  "is  to  see  what  is 
toward." 

"You  won't  leave  the  cave,"  she  said,  catching 
me  by  the  shoulder. 

"I  should  find  it  difficult  were  I  so  minded," 
I  answered,  smiling  and  thrilling  to  her  touch 
again  as  always.  Indeed,  I  have  never  got  used 
to  it  even  after  all  these  years.  As  I  look  back 
on  the  scenes  of  the  past  now  I  do  not  think  I 
have  ever  had  happier  moments  in  my  life  than 
those  in  which  she  clung  to  me  and  was  depen- 
dent upon  me. 

"Why  not?"  she  asked. 

"You  forget  that  we  broke  down  the  way  last 
night." 

"But  you  are  a  sailor,  you  might  make  shift" 

"Yes,  but  not  you,"  I  answered. 

"Without  me?" 

"Without  you  I  go  nowhere." 

She  looked  at  me  with  shining  eyes. 

"Come,"  said  I,  "let  us  go  into  the  outer  room. 
We  may  find  out  something." 

I  had  wound  my  watch  in  the  dark  and  looked 
at  it  now  as  we  came  into  the  light.  It  was  three 
bells  in  the  morning  watch,  or  about  half  after 

286 


BELEAGUERED  IN  THE  CAVE 

nine.  We  went  past  the  altar  with  its  grim  bony 
circle  of  attendants,  and  stared  through  the  en- 
trance. There  was  an  open  space  at  the  foot  of 
the  cliff  forty  or  fifty  yards  wide  perhaps  before 
the  jungle  began.  After  looking  some  time  and 
seeing  nothing  I  foolishly — and  yet  it  would 
have  made  no  difference  in  the  end — stepped  out 
upon  the  shelf  which  made  a  sort  of  platform  in 
front  of  the  cave  and  Mistress  Lucy  fearlessly 
came  with  me. 

We  had  scarcely  appeared  in  view  when  to 
our  astounded  surprise  we  heard  the  report  of  a 
firearm  and  a  heavy  bullet  struck  the  coral  wall 
just  over  our  heads.  I  had  just  time  to  mark  the 
spot  whence  it  came,  by  the  betraying  smoke,  as 
I  leaped  back  into  the  shelter  carrying  my  pre- 
cious charge  before  me.  I  was  puzzled  beyond 
measure.  I  was  certain  that  the  savages  in  these 
parts  of  the  South  Seas  knew  nothing  about  fire- 
arms and  I  could  not  account  for  it.  The 
shower  of  arrows  and  spears  that  now  came 
through  the  opening  and  fell  harmlessly  on  the 
sand  I  could  easily  account  for,  but  not  that  shot. 
What  could  it  mean?  I  felt  that  I  could  hold 
my  own  against  savages  without  difficulty,  but 

287 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

if  there  were  European  enemies  there  the  case 
was  different. 

"That,"  said  I  solemnly,  "was  a  narrow 
escape." 

"Do  these  islanders  have  firearms?"  she  asked, 
the  same  thought  in  her  mind. 

"I  never  heard  of  it,"  I  replied.  "I  cannot 
account  for  it." 

"I  can,  though,"  she  said;  "just  before  the  dis- 
charge of  that  gun  I  caught  sight  of  a  man  in 
clothes  such  as  you  wear.  Is  it  possible  that  it 
could  be  one  from  The  Rose  of  Devon?" 

I  nodded  my  head,  a  light  at  once  breaking 
upon  me. 

"It  is  quite  likely,"  I  answered,  "now  it  is  cer- 
tain." 

At  this  moment  our  further  conversation  was 
interrupted  by  a  hail.  To  our  great  amazement 
we  heard  in  that  lonely  island  my  own  name 
called!  That  hail  could  only  come  from  a  sur- 
vivor of  the  ship.  It  confirmed  our  surmises 
about  the  shot. 

"Master  Hampdon,"  the  cry  came  to  us,  "will 
you  respect  a  flag  of  truce?  If  so,  show  yourself 
at  the  opening  and  I  shall  do  the  same." 

288 


BELEAGUERED  IN  THE  CAVE 

"Don't  go,"  cried  my  little  mistress,  hearing 
all,  "they  are  utterly  without  honor,  and — " 

"I  think  it  will  be  best  for  me  to  appear,"  I 
said.  "Stand  clear  so  that  if  any  treacherous 
movement  be  made  I  shall  have  space  to  leap 
backward,  and  meanwhile  look  to  your 
weapons." 

I  examined  my  own  pistols  and  then  calling 
out  loudly  that  I  would  faithfully  observe  the 
flag  of  truce,  I  stepped  out  into  the  open.  There 
below  me  on  the  edge  of  the  glade,  convenient 
to  a  tree  behind  which  he  could  leap,  for  the 
rascal  trusted  me  apparently  as  little  as  I  trusted 
him,  stood  the  wretch,  Pimball.  Back  of  him 
beneath  the  trees  I  distinguished  Glibby  and  a 
number  of  the  crew,  nearly  all  of  them,  I  should 
judge,  and  back  of  these  were  massed  the  sav- 
ages. Pimball  had  a  white  neckcloth  tied  to 
the  muzzle  of  his  gun. 

"Good  morning,  Master  Hampdon,"  he  be- 
gan suavely. 

To  that  salutation  I  made  no  reply.  I  did  not 
deign  even  to  pass  the  time  of  day  with  such  a 
man  as  he. 

"Say  what  you  have  to  say  and  be  quick  about 
289 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

it,"  I  said  haughtily,  but  he  looked  past  me  and 
took  off  his  hat  with  a  profound  sweep. 

"Good  morning,  Mistress  Wilberforce,"  he 
cried. 

I  turned  in  a  hurry  and  found  that  she  had 
stepped  out  by  my  side,  completely  disobeying 
my  positive  direction.  The  two  of  us  presented 
a  fair  mark  for  any  weapon;  one  might  escape, 
but  hardly  two  if  Pimball's  men  opened  fire. 

"Get  back!"  I  cried  harshly  in  mingled  amaze- 
ment and  dismay. 

"I  stay  where  you  are,"  she  answered  firmly. 
"See,  I,  too,  am  armed,"  her  little  hand  lifted 
her  own  pistol. 

"I  can  talk  with  the  two  of  you  jest  as  well  as 
with  one,  or  even  better,"  interposed  Pimball 
smoothly,  "an'  the  lady  won't  need  her  pistol." 

"Talk  on  and  be  brief,"  I  returned,  seeing 
there  was  no  use  in  arguing  with  my  little  mis- 
tress who  always  did  have  her  own  way  in  the 
end. 

Yet  I  did  take  the  precaution  to  interpose  my 
bulk  between  the  man  on  the  ground  and  my 
lady  who  strove  to  move  around  me,  but  I  stub- 
bornly held  my  position  and  compelled  her  to 

290 


"She  had  stepped  out  by  my  side." 
Page  290  The  Island  of  the  Stairs 


BELEAGUERED  IN  THE  CAVE 

keep  in  the  background  where  she  was  in  less 
danger. 

"You've  found  the  treasure,"  he  began, 
"there  ain't  no  use  denyin'  it;  we  Ve  1'arnt  from 
our  savage  friends  that  the  stuff  is  there.  In 
years  gone  by  they  sacrificed  here  an'  on  the  cone 
yonder,  but  for  generations  the  island  has  been 
taboo.  The  comin'  of  the  white  man  has  broke 
the  ban  an'  we  're  here  to  take  the  treasure  away 
with  us." 

"Indeed!"  said  I  sarcastically,  whereat  he 
turned  pale  with  anger  but  still  mastered  him- 
self. 

"We  offer  you,"  he  continued,  "safety.  We 
can't  take  you  with  us,  but  we  '11  leave  you  here 
on  the  island  arter  we  have  fetched  away  the 
treasure." 

"Thank  you,"  I  returned,  "you  are  vastly 
kind." 

He  bit  his  lip  at  that  and  then  his  eyes  turned 
from  me  to  my  companion. 

"If  you  are  willin'  to  give  up  the  woman,"  he 
said  suddenly,  revealing  his  real  villainy,  "I  '11 
enroll  you  with  our  followin'  an'  we  '11  all  git 
away  together  on  The  Rose  of  Devon." 

291 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"What  of  the  ship?"  I  asked. 

It  was  a  hard  thing  to  control  my  temper,  but 
I  wanted  the  information  and  until  I  got  it  I 
must  command  myself. 

"She  was  badly  damaged  when  she  took 
ground  on  the  sand  durin'  the  storm  but  not  en- 
tirely wrecked,  an'  is  still  seaworthy.  We  Ve 
patched  her  up,  too.  We  can  git  away  in  her  an' 
you  can  navigate  her,  or  we  can  do  without  you, 
for  that  matter,  an*  make  shift  to  git  her  back 
to  the  South  American  coast  at  least." 

"So  you  offer  me  free  passage  and  my  share 
of  the  treasure  if  I  will  give  up  Mistress  Wil- 
berforce,  do  you?" 

"That's  just  it,"  answered  Pimball.  "Eh, 
mates?"  whereat  a  deep  chorus  of  approval 
came  from  Glibby  and  the  men. 

"And  this  is  my  answer,"  I  said  furiously, 
leveling  my  pistol  at  him.  "Get  back,  you  vil- 
lain, or  you  will  have  looked  your  last  on  life." 

"But  the  flag  of  truce,"  he  cried,  dropping  his 
weapon  in  surprise. 

"It  is  not  meant  to  cover  such  propositions  as 
yours.  As  for  the  treasure,  you  shall  have  it 
when  you  can  get  it." 

292 


BELEAGUERED  IN  THE  CAVE 

As  I  spoke  he  sprang  behind  the  tree  and  mo- 
tioned to  his  men  to  fire,  but  I  was  too  quick  for 
him,  and  we  were  safely  behind  the  walls  of  the 
cave  when  the  sound  of  the  reports  came  to  us. 
I  had  carried  my  mistress  there  before  me  in  my 
unceremonious  backward  rush. 

"It  was  bravely  said,"  began  my  lady,  "but  if 
I  were  not  here,  you — " 

I  laughed. 

"You  are  here  and  if  you  were  not  they  would 
murder  me  like  a  sheep  when  they  had  got  out 
of  me  all  they  wanted." 

"Yes,"  said  she,  "I  suppose  so.  Now  what  is 
to  be  done?" 

"The  next  move,"  said  I,  "is  with  them." 

"Shall  we  go  further  back  into  the  cave?" 

"No,  we  will  stay  here  for  the  moment,"  I  re- 
plied. 

We  were  not  long  left  in  suspense  for  I  could 
hear  them  breaking  through  the  woods  and  rush- 
ing toward  the  entrance.  Missiles  in  the  way  of 
weapons  there  were  none  in  the  cave,  but  I 
picked  up  a  skull  that  lay  on  the  floor  and  hurled 
it  out  of  the  opening  into  the  unseen  crowd  be- 
low on  a  venture.  A  shriek  told  me  that  I  had 

293 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

hit  someone,  but  I  saw  at  once  that  the  game  was 
one  I  could  not  play  longer,  for  a  rain  of  missiles, 
stones,  arrows,  what  not,  fell  in  the  entrance. 

These  villainous  white  men  had  some  skill  at 
warfare,  it  seemed.  They  had  posted  covering 
parties  to  protect  the  workmen  who  had  been 
detailed  to  repair  and  make  possible  the  ap- 
proach. I  stepped  cautiously  toward  the  en- 
trance and  peered  down.  I  could  see  them 
working  hard,  piling  up  the  stones  to  enable 
them  to  get  at  us,  while  back  of  them  others 
stood  with  drawn  bows  and  presented  weapons. 

I  did  not  come  off  unscathed,  for  as  I  sprang 
back  after  having  thrown  another  skull  and 
taken  my  look,  an  arrow  hit  me  in  the  fleshy 
part  of  my  arm.  My  mistress  noticed  it  in- 
stantly. The  stone  head  had  broken  off  and  it 
was  the  work  of  an  instant  to  draw  out  the 
slender  wood  shaft.  It  was  not  at  all  a  bad 
wound  but  it  was  quite  painful.  The  next 
thing  she  did  amazed  me  beyond  measure,  for 
before  I  could  prevent  it  my  mistress  had  put 
her  lips  to  the  wound. 

"What  mean  you?"  I  cried  when  I  could  re- 
cover myself. 

294 


BELEAGUERED  IN  THE  CAVE 

"It  might  have  been  poisoned,"  she  said 
quietly,  looking  at  me  with  luminous  eyes,  "and 
I  cannot  have  you  die  1" 


295 


CHAPTER  XVII 

HOW  WE  FIGHT  FOR  LIFE  IN  THE  CAVERN  OF 
THE  TREASURE 

I  WAS  amazed,  astounded  even,  at  her  hardi- 
hood in  sucking  any  possible  poison  out  of 
that  wound  in  my  arm  at  so  great  a  risk  to  her 
own  life,  if  the  weapon  had  been  envenomed. 
And  I  was  most  profoundly  touched,  too.  But 
as  I  had  had  my  lesson  on  the  ship  I  presumed  no 
further;  I  viewed  it  as  done  out  of  common 
humanity  and  to  preserve  a  life  useful  to  her — 
nothing  more.  I  dared  not  put  any  other  con- 
struction upon  her  noble  action,  even  in  thought. 
Meanwhile  in  my  turn,  I  took  such  hasty  pre- 
cautions for  her  safety  as  I  could  while  I  thanked 
her.  I  bade  her  rinse  out  her  mouth  thoroughly 
with  a  mixture  of  the  cold  water  and  the  strong 
spirit  of  which  I  still  had  my  flask  nearly  full. 
By  this  time  we  had  withdrawn  to  the  back  of 
the  outer  cave.  Indeed,  that  was  the  only  safe 
place  for  us,  for  a  constant  succession  of  weapons 

296 


WE  FIGHT  FOR  LIFE  IN  THE  CAVE 

was  being  thrown  through  the  opening.  We 
needed  no  further  warning  to  keep  us  out  of 
reach.  Master  Pimball  was  showing  himself 
something  of  a  general,  too.  He  was  keeping 
us  away  from  the  entrance  and  with  the  great 
host  of  men  at  his  command  he  was  building 
up  the  broken-down  heap  of  stones  which  would 
presently  enable  them  to  come  at  us  in  force. 
At  least  that  was  what  I  guessed  from  what  I 
had  seen  and  what  I  now  heard. 

While  my  little  mistress  busied  herself  with 
tying  up  my  wounded  arm  with  strips  torn  from 
the  sleeve  of  my  shirt  which  I  had  offered  for 
the  purpose — she  had  wanted  to  make  bandages 
out  of  her  underwear  but  I  stayed  her — I  con- 
sidered what  was  to  be  done.  I  had  four  loaded 
pistols  and  therefore  four  lives  in  my  hand.  No 
man  could  show  his  head  in  that  entrance  with- 
out receiving  a  shot.  After  that  I  could  ac- 
count for  a  few  more,  perhaps,  with  sword,  axe, 
or  naked  fist,  but  in  the  end  they  would  inevi- 
tably master  me.  Unfortunately,  the  entrance 
was  broad  enough  for  four  or  more  to  enter 
abreast  easily. 

Should  I  open  the  battle  there  or  retreat  into 
297 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

the  inner  cave  and  wait,  was  the  question  that 
had  to  be  decided.  Perhaps  the  latter  would 
be  the  safer  plan  but  I  had  a  strange  unwilling- 
ness to  adopt  it,  for  once  within  I  feared  we 
should  never  get  out  alive  except  as  prisoners, 
so  long  as  they  held  the  outer  cave  and  I  could 
never  dislodge  them  from  it.  There  was  not 
much  more  chance  of  getting  out  alive  from  the 
outer  cave,  for  that  matter,  but  still  it  seemed  so. 
We  could  at  least  see  the  sky  and  the  sunlight. 
Should  we  stay  there  or  go  further  into  the  wall? 
I  decided  upon  the  former  course.  I  ex- 
plained to  my  mistress  that  I  would  keep  the 
outer  cave  as  long  as  I  could,  begging  her  to  re- 
treat to  the  inner  -chamber.  She  demurred  at 
first,  but  when  I  spoke  to  her  peremptorily  at 
last — God  forgive  me — she  acceded  to  my  re- 
quest humbly  enough.  Indeed,  she  saw  that  in 
this  matter  I  could  not  be  denied  and  also  per- 
haps that  I  had  right  and  prudence  on  my  side. 
Her  presence  would  only  have  embarrassed  me 
in  my  fighting  although  I  could  quite  under- 
stand that  she  wanted  to  fight,  too.  It  was  in 
her  blood  and  she  has  since  confessed  that  she 
never  expected  that  we  would  come  through  the 

298 


conflict  alive  and  she  would  fain  have  died  by 
my  side.  But  that  was  not  to  be,  and  so,  for  the 
once  she  obeyed  me. 

I  thrust  the  best  pistol  into  her  hand  and 
told  her  to  reserve  it  for  herself  in  case  her  cap- 
ture was  inevitable,  but  not  to  pull  the  trigger 
until  the  last  moment.  And  I  promised  her 
faithfully  that  I  would  not  foolishly  or  uselessly 
jeopard  myself  but  that  after  I  had  made  what 
fight  I  could,  I  would  join  her  if  it  were  in  any 
way  possible. 

Even  then  she  hung  in  the  wind  awhile,  seem- 
ing loath  to  go  when  all  had  been  said  between 
us.  Finally  she  approached  me,  laid  her  hand 
on  my  arm  and  looked  up  at  me.  Seeing  that 
she  had  previously  decided  to  go  and  said  so, 
I  wondered  what  was  coming  now. 

"Master  Hampdon,"  she  said  softly,  "here  we 
be  a  lone  man  and  woman  among  these  savages 
and  murderers  with  but  little  chance  for  our 
lives,  I  take  it.  I  am  sorry  that  I  struck  you  on 
the  ship — and — you  may — kiss — me — good-by." 

With  that  she  proffered  me  her  lips.  I  could 
face  a  thousand  savages,  a  hundred  Pimballs, 
without  a  quiver  of  the  nerves,  but  at  these  un- 

299 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

expected  words  and  that  wonderful  condescen- 
sion, my  knees  fairly  smote  together  before  this 
small  woman.  I  stood  staring  down  at  her. 

"You  were  once  over  eager  to  take  from  me 
by  force  what  I  now  offer  you  willingly,"  she 
said,  half  turning  away  in  a  certain — shall  I 
say  disappointment? 

With  that  I  caught  her  to  me  and  once  again 
I  drank  the  sweetness  of  her  lips.  We  were 
bound  to  die  and  I  kissed  her  as  a  man  does 
when  he  loves  a  woman.  I  forgot  the  savages 
outside,  the  stones,  the  spears,  the  arrows  stream- 
ing through  the  entrance,  the  yells  and  curses 
that  came  to  us.  I  held  her  in  my  arms  and 
without  resistance.  I  could  have  held  her  there 
forever,  quite  willing  to  die  in  such  sweet  em- 
brace. She  pushed  me  away  from  her  at  last  and 
I  could  swear  that  my  kisses  had  been  returned, 
and  then  with  a  whispered  blessing  she  dropped 
to  her  knees  and  crawled  within  the  adjoining 
cave. 

I  could  have  fought  the  world,  thereafter,  for 
her  kisses  intoxicated  me  like  wine.  Yet  even 
then  I  did  not  delude  myself.  I  felt  that  on 
her  part  at  least,  it  was  a  farewell  kiss  such  as 

300 


WE  FIGHT  FOR  LIFE  IN  THE  CAVE 

two  true  devoted  comrades  might  give  to  each 
other  in  the  face  of  death.  I  said  to  myself  that 
to  her  the  pressure  of  my  lips  had  only  been  as 
the  salute  of  an  ancient  gladiator  about  to  die  was 
to  the  Caesar  who  watched  the  struggle.  To 
me — well  I  blessed  her  even  for  that  crowning 
mercy. 

With  a  pistol  in  each  hand  and  the  third  upon 
a  rock  close  at  hand  I  waited.  I  had  not  long 
to  wait  There  was  a  sudden  fiercer  rain  of 
arrows  and  spears,  some  of  which  struck  at  my 
feet  or  by  my/side.  I  gathered  up  a  sheaf  of 
them  and  laid  them  at  hand  beside  the  pistol  on 
the  rock. 

The  next  instant  two  tremendous  savages  and 
a  white  man  appeared  in  the  entrance.  The  shot 
was  easy,  the  target  fine.  I  could  n't  miss.  The 
first  bullet  went  into  the  brain  of  Master  Glibby, 
the  next  tore  off  the  head  of  the  leading  chief. 
Reserving  the  third  pistol,  I  seized  a  spear  and 
drove  it  through  the  throat  of  the  other  savage. 
I  shouted  with  triumph,  and  Mistress  Lucy  has 
since  confessed  to  me  that,  kneeling  down  and 
peering  through  the  opening,  contrary  to  my  ex- 
plicit order  which  was  for  her  to  seek  safe  cover, 

301 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

she  saw  all  and  that  my  call  of  victory  was  the 
sweetest  sound  she  had  ever  heard. 

I  thought  we  had  done,  but  they  were  an  in- 
domitable lot,  those  South  Sea  islanders,  and  they 
were  well  urged.  Four  others  took  their  places 
at  once,  spears  in  hands,  which  they  threw  at  me. 
I  dodged  them  with  some  difficulty  and  let  fly  the 
third  pistol.  They  came  crowding  this  time  and 
the  bullet  from  the  heavy  weapon  accounted  for 
two  others,  but  the  survivors  had  gained  a  foot- 
ing, and  the  shelf  behind  them  was  suddenly 
filled  with  lifting  heads  and  climbing  men. 

I  clubbed  my  weapons  and  hurled  them  one 
after  another  fair  and  square  into  the  mass.  One 
man  went  down  with  a  broken  skull.  The  rush 
was  checked,  they  gave  back  a  little.  I  cast 
spears  and  arrows  at  them  but  now  the  shield  men 
had  come  up  and  they  caught  the  missiles  on 
their  shields.  The  front  rank  wavered  and  per- 
haps if  they  had  been  unsupported,  they  might 
have  been  driven  below,  but  the  crowd  behind 
would  not  let  them  retire.  Slowly  they  began 
to  move  toward  me. 

I  doubt  not  I  was  a  terrible  figure,  for  I  had 
whipped  out  my  cutlass  by  this  time  and  stood 

302 


WE  FIGHT  FOR  LIFE  IN  THE  CAVE 

at  bay.  I  had  forgotten  for  the  moment  all  else 
but  the  lust  of  the  conflict  and  in  another  second 
I  had  flung  myself  upon  them  in  a  fury.  It  was 
my  mistress  who  recalled  me  to  myself. 

"Save  yourself,"  she  shrieked,  "they  are  upon 
you.  Come  hither." 

With  that  I  dropped  down  and  made  a  spring 
for  the  opening.  I  had  waited  too  long.  The 
leading  man  would  have  pinned  me  to  the  earth 
with  his  spear.  The  entrance  was  wide  fortu- 
nately, and  Mistress  Lucy  would  see  through 
the  part  I  did  not  block  with  my  huge  bulk. 
Again  disregarding  entirely  my  instructions,  she 
fired  the  last  pistol  at  that  nearest  man.  He 
went  down  like  a  ninepin,  both  legs  broken, 
which  gave  me  time  to  gain  the  inner  chamber 
and  stand  upright.  I  was  bleeding  for  I  had 
been  cut  here  and  there,  but  was  otherwise  all 
right. 

"That  shot  saved  my  life,"  I  cried  panting, 
"you  should  have  kept  it  for  yourself." 

"I  can  find  means  to  die,"  she  answered,  "if 
by  naught  else,  by  your  sword  blade." 

"Good,"  I  exclaimed,  proud  of  her  prowess 
and  her  resolution. 

303 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

They  gave  us  no  time  for  further  speech  for 
urged  by  what  promises  of  reward,  what  passion- 
ate hatred,  what  bestial  desire,  I  know  not,  they 
came  on.  The  narrow  entrance  was  suddenly 
black  with  the  islanders  who  thrust  their  spears 
at  us.  Fortunately  my  mistress  had  moved  aside 
and  was  out  of  range,  but  I  was  perilously  near 
being  cut  down.  Mistress  Lucy  had  the  sword 
which  I  had  thrust  into  her  hand,  and  I  the  great 
axe  which  I  had  cast  into  the  inner  cave  ahead 
of  me. 

Those  outside  were  even  less  able  to  see  than 
we  and  perhaps  they  thought  we  had  withdrawn, 
or  been  driven  back,  for  they  crept  forward 
with  assurance. 

While  I  had  lived  in  the  gardener's  lodge  at 
Wilberforce  Castle,  I  had  got  to  be  quite  an  axe- 
man. I  brought  down  the  heavy  weapon  on  the 
first  head,  striking  with  just  enough  force  to 
kill  and  yet  leave  me  able  to  recover  myself  with- 
out delay,  and  when  three  heads  had  been 
knocked  that  way  in  rapid  succession  with  no 
more  damage  to  me  than  a  trifling  spear  cut  on 
the  ankle,  the  battle  stopped  for  a  moment.  I 
laughed. 

304 


WE  FIGHT  FOR  LIFE  IN  THE  CAVE 

"Come  on,  you  dogs!"  I  shouted,  "I  can  plajr 
at  that  game  until  you  are  more  tired  of  it 
than  I." 

I  spoke  without  thought,  however,  for  those 
outside  the  opening  drew  back  the  bodies  by 
their  legs  and  thus  cleared  the  entrance.  I 
judged  that  the  outer  cave,  which  was  large  and 
spacious,  was  now  filled  with  men.  They  were 
shouting  and  gesticulating  in  great  excitement. 
But  none  made  any  effort  to  enter.  Finally,  I 
heard  a  human  voice  speaking  English.  It  was 
Pimball. 

"Master  Hampdon?"  he  cried. 

"Speak  not  to  me,  murdering  villain,"  I 
answered. 

"Now  this  is  madness,"  he  shouted.  "You  are 
trapped  like  rats;  we  have  only  to  wall  up  the 
entrance  or  build  a  fire  in  front  of  it  an'  you  will 
both  die." 

"It  is  a  thousand  times  better  to  die  so,"  I  an- 
swered shortly,  "than  to  live  with  craven  men 
like  you." 

"You  are  a  fool,"  he  exclaimed. 

He  dropped  down  on  his  knees  as  he  spoke 
and  I  could  see  his  face  in  the  opening  but  too 

305 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

far  away  for  me  to  swing  my  axe.  If  it  were 
my  last  effort  I  was  determined  that  I  would  get 
him,  and  so  I  waited. 

"Don't  lose  the  sword,"  I  cried  to  my  lady 
across  the  chamber  where  her  white  face  stared 
at  me  out  of  the  dimness. 

"I  shall  not,"  she  answered  undauntedly. 

Then  I  lifted  the  axe  and  waited  for  Master 
Pimball  and  his  men  to  come  on,  but  he  had  a 
better  plan.  Bullets  and  powder  they  had  in 
plenty  and  he  knew  from  the  fact  that  I  had 
thrown  my  pistols  at  them  that  I  had  none  left. 
With  a  deafening  roar  a  storm  of  bullets  from  a 
dozen  weapons  swept  the  cave.  I  leaped  back. 
I  had  to,  or  I  should  have  been  shot  where  I 
stood.  Of  the  way  thus  opened  they  took  in- 
stant advantage  and  under  cover  of  a  second  vol- 
ley they  sought  to  enter.  Well,  it  was  all  up,  all 
I  could  do  was  to  leap  upon  them  as  they  rose 
and — 

But  that  moment  the  solid  rock  beneath  my 
feet  began  to  sway.  It  was  as  if  I  had  been  in- 
stantly translated  to  the  deck  of  a  tossing  ship. 
I  stood  rooted  to  the  spot  trying  to  maintain  a 
balance.  Pimball  had  lifted  himself  upon  one 

306 


WE  FIGHT  FOR  LIFE  IN  THE  CAVE 

knee  and  was  almost  clear  of  the  entrance,  but 
he  too  stopped,  appalled.  A  sickening  feeling 
of  apprehension  that  all  the  savages  on  earth 
would  not  have  inspired  came  over  me.  My 
mistress  screamed  faintly.  The  natives  outside 
broke  into  terror  stricken  shouts  and  cries,  an 
oath  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  leader  of  the 
mutineers. 

The  next  moment,  with  a  crash  like  a  thou- 
sand thunder  peals  the  earth  was  rent  in  twain. 

The  earthquake  shook  that  rocky  island  like 
a  baby's  cradle.  A  great  mass  of  rock  over  the 
entrance  fell.  With  another  roar  like  to  the 
first  the  cliff  was  riven  in  every  direction.  The 
noise  outside  ceased.  The  men  with  Pimball 
were  ground  to  death.  Upon  his  legs  lay  fifty 
feet  of  broken  rock.  Darkness,  total  and  abso- 
lute, succeeded  the  dim  light.  I  remember 
realizing  that  the  attack  had  failed  and  then 
something  struck  me.  Down  upon  the  wet,  still 
quivering  sand  I  fell  and  knew  no  more. 


307 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

IN  WHICH  WE  PASS  THROUGH  DARKNESS  TO 
LIGHT  AND  LIBERTY 

WATER,  icy  cold,  trickling  upon  me  from 
some  spring  opened  in  the  wall  by  the 
earthquake,  presently  brought  me  to  myself.  I 
lay  for  a  moment  listening.  I  could  hear  noth- 
ing at  first,  but  in  a  little  while  a  deep  groan 
and  then  a  faint  whispered  prayer  came  to  me. 
I  strove  desperately  to  collect  my  senses  and 
finally  I  realized  where  I  was — the  cave,  the 
battle,  the  earthquake,  the  savages,  Pimball,  and 
the  woman ! 

"Mistress  Lucy!"  I  cried. 

"Oh,  thank  God,"  her  voice  came  through  the 
darkness  hysterically,  "I  thought  you  were 
killed." 

"No,"  I  answered,  slowly  rising  to  my  knee 
and  stretching  my  members  to  see  if  I  had  con- 
trol of  them,  which  fortunately  I  soon  discov- 
ered I  had,  "I  was  stunned  by  falling  rock,  but 

308 


THROUGH  DARKNESS  TO  LIGHT 

otherwise  I  believe  I  am  not  much  hurt.  How 
is  it  with  you?" 

"I  am  well  and  unharmed." 

"Now  God  be  praised,"  I  exclaimed  fervently. 

"For  Christ's  sake,  water!"  interposed  a 
trembling,  hoarse,  anguished  voice. 

"Who  speaks?"  I  asked. 

"I,  Pimball,  I  'm  pinned  to  the  ground,  my 
back  is  broke,  I  'm  dyin'." 

"There  should  be  a  lantern  here,"  I  said. 
"I  placed  it — let  me  think,  where  did  I  place  it?" 

"It  was  just  to  the  left  of  the  opening," 
answered  my  little  mistress. 

I  was  turned  around  and  giddy,  but  I  managed 
to  fix  the  direction  of  the  entrance  by  Pimball's 
groans  and  by  good  fortune  presently  found  the 
lantern.  It  would  burn  but  a  few  hours,  but  we 
never  needed  a  light  as  we  did  then,  I  decided. 
My  flint  and  steel  I  carried  ever  in  my  pocket 
and  to  kindle  a  flickering  flame  was  but  the 
work  of  a  moment.  If  I  had  not  possessed  it,  I 
would  have  given  years  of  my  life  for  even  that 
feeble  light  which  threw  a  faint  illumination 
about  the  place. 

There,  opposite  me  where  I  had  stationed  her, 
309 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

by  God's  providence  protected  by  a  niche  in  the 
cave  from  the  rain  of  rocks  which  had  beaten 
me  down,  stood  my  mistress,  safe  and  unharmed. 
I  stepped  toward  her  and  with  a  low  cry  of 
thankfulness  she  fell  into  my  arms.  I  soothed 
her  for  a  moment  and  then  turned  to  the  other 
occupant  of  the  chamber.  The  entrance  was 
completely  blocked  up,  the  wall  had  settled 
down.  Pimball's  legs  were  broken  and  his  back 
as  well.  It  was  impossible  to  release  him,  what 
lay  upon  him  weighed  tons  and  tons. 

"You  murdering  hound,"  I  cried,  "you  have 
brought  this  upon  us,"  but  he  would  only  plead 
piteously  for  water,  disregarding  my  bitter  re- 
proaches. 

I  was  for  killing  him  outright  with  my  cut- 
lass, which  I  picked  up,  but  she  would  not  have 
it  so.  She  got  a  half  cocoanut  shell,  filled  it 
with  water,  and  brought  it  to  him.  She  bathed 
his  brow  and  gave  him  some  to  drink.  It  gave 
him  temporary  relief  but  his  minutes  were  num- 
bered. His  life  was  going  out  by  seconds. 

"Godl"  he  cried,  as  his  eyes  caught  the  gleam 
of  the  gold  and  silver  bars,  "the  treasure  1"  He 
stretched  out  his  hand  toward  it,  and  then 

310 


THROUGH  DARKNESS  TO  LIGHT 

stopped.  "I  'm  undone,"  he  choked  out  with 
a  fearful  scream,  "Mistress  1" 

"Yes?" 

"Forgive — " 

Indeed  she  forgave  him,  I  make  no  doubt,  but 
her  forgiveness  came  too  late,  for  his  head 
dropped — he  had  been  looking  sideways — and 
his  face  buried  itself  in  the  wet  sand. 

"Is  he  dead?"  she  asked,  awe-struck. 

I  nodded.  No  closer  inspection  was  needed 
to  establish  the  truth  of  that  fact. 

"He  died  with  a  prayer  for  forgiveness." 

"And  few  men  have  ever  had  greater  need  for 
that  forgiveness,"  said  I,  drawing  her  away. 

"And  we  too  shall  die,"  she  said  shuddering. 
"We  are  buried  here  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
in  this  treasure  lined  prison." 

"Well,  we  won't  die  without  a  struggle,"  I  re- 
turned with  more  confidence  than  I  felt. 

"What  mean  you?" 

"The  earthquake  which  closed  the  mouth  of 
the  cave  may  have  opened  the  other  end." 

"It  is  possible,"  she  answered,  "but  not  very 
likely." 

"And   besides,   you    remember   the    running 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

stream  on  the  other  side  of  the  cave,  which  we 
did  not  follow?" 

"Yes." 

"It  must  run  somewhere." 

"Well?" 

"Where  water  runs  men  and  women  may  find 
a  way." 

"At  least  it  will  do  us  no  harm  to  try." 

"Come  then,"  said  I,  extending  my  hand  to 
her  and  holding  the  lantern  before  me  for  pit- 
falls. 

We  went  down  the  cave.  To  find  the  water 
was  easy.  Sure  enough,  it  led  away  through  a 
narrow  rift,  in  what  direction  we  could  not  tell, 
although  its  tendency  was  downward  and  I  knew 
that  it  must  come  out  upon  the  beach  somewhere. 
It  had  not  seemed  to  me,  as  I  had  examined  it 
before  the  earthquake,  that  the  rift  was  more 
than  large  enough  to  carry  the  water,  but  it 
might  have  been  opened  wider  by  the  shock,  and 
so  we  followed  it.  Although  sometimes  the 
walls  closed  over  the  watercourse,  making  low 
and  narrow  tunnels,  we  managed  to  force  our 
way  through  them.  I  went  in  the  advance,  for 
I  knew  that  what  my  body  could  pass  would  pre- 

312 


THROUGH  DARKNESS  TO  LIGHT 

sent  no  difficulty  for  her.  We  wandered  in  and 
out  among  the  coral  until  it  seemed  to  me  that 
we  had  gone  miles,  although  in  reality  it  might 
have  been  but  a  few  hundred  yards. 

At  last  we  came  to  a  place  too  low  and  too 
narrow  for  me,  although  I  might  have  perhaps 
thrust  her  through. 

"You  see,"  she  said,  "this  is  the  end." 

"No,  not  yet,"  I  answered,  resolved  never  to 
give  over  the  attempt  while  I  could  move  hand 
or  foot  or  draw  a  breath. 

I  still  had  the  axe  with  me  and  the  sword 
which  I  had  thrust  into  my  belt.  The  rock 
seemed  soft  and  pliable.  Lying  down  upon  my 
back  and  covering  my  eyes  with  one  hand,  I 
struck  at  it  overhead  with  the  axe,  which  I 
grasped  near  the  head,  thus  gradually  enlarg- 
ing the  passage.  The  water  flowing  beneath 
me  was  deathly  cold,  the  candle  in  the 
lantern  was  burning  lower  and  lower,  but 
I  hung  on.  Never  did  I  work  so  hard, 
so  rapidly,  so  recklessly  in  my  life  as  then.  At 
last  I  loosened  a  huge  piece  of  the  rock  which 
fell  suddenly  upon  me.  Had  I  not  seen  it  com- 
ing and  dropped  the  axe  and  stayed  its  progress 

313 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

with  both  upraised  hands,  it  might  have  crushed 
me.  As  it  was,  it  fell  fairly  upon  my  breast. 
I  could  not  throw  it  aside,  the  way  was  too  nar- 
row. I  held  it  off  with  my  hands  and  forced  my 
way  through  the  opening,  now  barely  enough  to 
admit  my  passing,  although  what  I  should  meet 
with  or  where  I  should  bring  up  on  the  other 
side,  I  knew  not.  I  had  no  idea  how  large  the 
fallen  rock  was,  for  all  its  weight,  but  my 
mistress  has  told  me  that  it  was  a  monster  stone, 
and  that  none  but  a  giant  could  have  carried  it. 
I  thrust  hard  and  harder  with  my  feet  and  pres- 
ently my  way  was  clear  and  I  shoved  myself 
through  the  opening.  With  one  great  final  ef- 
fort I  rolled  the  rock  aside  and  then  lay  on  my 
back  on  the  sand,  breathless,  exhausted. 

She  dragged  herself  through  the  passage  I 
had  thus  made  and  over  my  body,  and  then  knelt 
by  my  side,  kissed  me,  murmuring  words  I  did 
not  dare  to  listen  to  lest  I  should  go  mad  with 
joy.  And  indeed,  I  was  so  exhausted  that  I 
could  scarcely  credit  that  I  had  heard  anything 
real.  Presently,  however,  I  staggered  to  my  feet 
again.  She  had  forgot  the  precious  lantern,  but 
I  went  back  after  it. 

3H 


THROUGH  DARKNESS  TO  LIGHT 

We  were  now  in  a  more  spacious  cave;  the 
stream  fed  by  other  brooks  had  become  larger; 
the  descent  was  much  more  rapid.  The  cliff 
wall  was,  I  believe,  narrower  at  the  cave  than 
anywhere  else  in  the  island.  It  was  perhaps 
not  more  than  half  a  mile  wide.  We  stumbled 
rapidly  down  the  long  vaulted  passage  to  the 
outer  wall.  As  we  approached  it,  I  half  feared 
that  the  rock  might  be  solid  and  that  the  brook 
might  plunge  beneath  it,  but  fortune  did  not  do 
its  worst  for  us  yet.  There  was  a  rift  in  the  wall 
around  which  the  brook  ran  into  a  sort  of  tunnel 
or  passageway,  tall  enough  for  me  to  stand  up- 
right and  broad  enough  to  enable  us  to  walk 
side  by  side.  A  long  distance  away  appeared 
to  me  a  spot  of  dimness.  Recklessly  we  -clasped 
hands  and  ran. 

Alas,  when  we  reached  the  light,  we  found  that 
the  entrance  was  closed  by  a  huge  stone.  It 
did  not  exactly  fit  the  opening  and  light  filtered 
around  it.  I  stood  panting,  staring  at  it. 

"Are  we  to  be  ended  now,"  I  cried,  "after 
having  come  thus  far?  Stand  clear,  madam," 
I  shouted,  not  giving  her  time  to  answer. 

Then  with  all  my  strength  I  swung  the  axe 

315 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

and  struck  the  rock  fair  and  square  and  by  good 
fortune  upon  some  fissure,  for  it  shivered  and  a 
crack  started.  Once  again,  this  time  with  even 
more  tremendous  force,  I  swung  and  struck. 
The  axe  sank  into  the  stone,  the  helve  shivered 
in  my  hand.  It  was  a  right  good  blow,  if  I 
do  say  it  myself,  for  the  rock  was  now  fairly 
split  in  two,  the  pieces  falling  to  the  right  and 
left.  Still,  the  two  halves  yet  lay  within  the 
entrance,  blocking  it.  We  had  not  achieved  a 
clear  passage. 

I  was  mad  now,  as  mad  as  I  had  been  in  the 
outer  cave  fighting  for  her,  or  when  I  had  cut 
the  Duke  of  Arcester.  The  blood  rushed  to 
my  face,  a  mist  to  my  eyes.  I  stooped  down 
and  with  my  naked  hands  I  seized  one  piece  of 
that  rock  and  with  such  strength  as  Hercules 
or  Samson  might  have  used,  I  drew  it  back,  lifted 
it  up  and  hurled  it  aside.  The  second  piece  fol- 
lowed in  the  same  way.  My  mistress  stood  star- 
ing at  me  in  awe  mingled  with  terror.  The 
way  was  opened  and  we  stepped  out  upon  the 
sand. 

Never  before  or  since  did  sunshine  seem  so 
sweet.  My  muddy  clothes  were  torn  to  rags, 

316 


THROUGH  DARKNESS  TO  LIGHT 

blood  was  clotted  in  my  hair  and  on  my  fore- 
head, my  face  was  black  with  sweat  and  dust, 
there  were  wounds  upon  my  legs  and  arms.  I 
was  a  gory  and  horrible  spectacle.  Mistress 
Lucy  had  suffered  no  wounds,  but  her  clothes 
were  rent  and  torn.  Her  face,  too,  was  grimy, 
but  beneath  the  dust  and  earth  stain  it  showed  as 
white  as  the  cap  of  a  wave. 

"Thanks  be  to  God,"  she  said  at  last,  "and  you, 
we  have  won  through." 

I  thought  she  would  have  fainted.  I  caught 
her  by  the  arm,  set  her  down  upon  the  sand  and 
sprinkled  the  water  from  the  brook  in  her  face 
until  presently  she  revived. 

"We  are  not  safe  yet,"  I  urged.  "There  were 
hundreds  of  savages  upon  the  island;  they  may 
not  all  have  been  at  the  cave.  We  must  go 
warily,  we  cannot  rest  now." 

"I  am  ready,"  she  answered  with  great  spirit, 
getting  to  her  feet  and  stretching  out  her  hand. 
"If  you  will  help  me  I  can  go  anywhere." 

I  still  had  my  sword.  I  drew  it  out  and  led 
on,  keeping  well  under  the  shelter  of  the  cliffs. 
We  walked  up  the  sand  toward  the  gaint  stairs. 
There  we  saw  men,  islanders,  on  the  top  of  the 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

wall,  but  my  first  glance  told  me  that  we  had 
nothing  to  fear  from  them,  for  the  stairs  were 
gone.  They  were  but  a  scattered  heap  of  stones. 
The  false  gods  were  down,  too.  I  wondered 
what  had  come  to  those  at  the  main  altar  in  the 
center  of  the  island.  The  earthquake  had 
crumbled  the  work  of  the  builders  of  bygone 
years,  and  as  the  stairs  had  fallen  away  they  had 
left  the  cliff  sheer  and  bare  for  a  hundred  feet 
or  more.  Those  above  could  not  come  at  us, 
nor  could  we  approach  them,  for  which  indeed 
we  had  no  mind. 

"It  is  an  act  of  God,"  said  I,  "that  has  broken 
down  the  stairs." 

"But  there  may  be  another  way  of  descent," 
she  said  after  a  moment.  "Oh,  let  us  leave  this 
dreadful  island!" 

I  had  no  hope  that  the  dinghy  had  been  spared, 
but  its  place  was  not  far  away  and  we  walked  to 
it  in  silence.  It  was  gone.  A  tidal  wave  had 
followed  the  earthquake.  The  canoes  in  which 
the  islanders  had  come  had  been  dashed  to  pieces 
and  their  few  keepers  killed.  The  survivors 
were  prisoners  on  the  island  unless  their  friends 
came  to  their  help,  and  even  then,  until  they 

318 


THROUGH  DARKNESS  TO  LIGHT 

could  devise  some  way  of  getting  down  the  cliff. 
And  we,  too,  were  prisoners.  Some  of  our  gear, 
the  compass,  some  provisions  which  I  had  stored 
in  the  crannies  of  the  rock  were  still  there,  but 
they  were  useless  to  us.  Something  else  had 
happened.  The  earthquake  had  broken  the  bar- 
rier reef.  Before  us  was  a  practicable  passage  to 
the  sea. 

If  we  only  had  a  boat!  I  turned  to  the 
canoes  hopeful  of  finding  one  seaworthy,  and  as 
I  did  so  my  Mistress  Lucy  caught  me  by  the 
arm. 

"Look,"  she  cried,  pointing  down  the  lagoon. 

I  turned  and  there,  bottom  upward,  floated  the 
dinghy.  The  sight  of  her  was  like  a  draught  of 
wine.  I  turned  and  ran  down  the  sand,  followed 
by  my  lady.  When  opposite  the  boat  I  kicked 
off  my  shoes,  I  had  on  little  else  but  shirt  and 
trousers,  jumped  into  the  lagoon,  swam  to  the 
dinghy  and  towed  her  ashore 


319 


BOOK  IV 

ONCE  MORE  UPON  THE  SEAS 
The  Treasure  Is  Brought  Home  and  All  Is  Well 


CHAPTER  XIX 

WHEREIN  WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

WE  were  so  excited  and  exhausted  by  the 
terrific  experiences  which  we  had  just 
gone  through  that  a  sort  of  frenzy  possessed  us. 
I  know  that  word  described  my  feelings  and  I 
think  it  also  described  my  lady's  feelings.  We 
threw  the  things  that  we  had  saved,  or  that  had 
escaped  the  earthquake  and  the  tidal  wave  that 
followed  it,  into  the  boat  pell-mell,  climbed  in 
ourselves,  and  shoved  off.  We  could  not  get 
away  from  that  island  quick  enough  and  we 
could  not  get  far  enough  away  once  we  started. 
Luckily  the  oars  had  been  secured  to  the 
thwarts,  and  I  shipped  them  on  the  rowlocks 
forthwith,  and  then  I  rowed  across  the  lagoon 
and  through  the  opening  in  the  reef.  Indeed, 
the  tidal  wave  had  shattered  the  reef  in  various 
places  and  for  the  first  time  in  centuries  the 
sea  made  clean  sweeps  of  the  beach  through  the 
many  openings.  It  was  not  altogether  easy  to 

323 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

row  through  the  surf  but  it  was  child's  play  to 
our  first  passage  over  the  reef.  In  spite  of  all 
that  I  had  gone  through,  I  felt  as  one  possessed, 
and  the  stout  ash  oars  fairly  bent  to  my  vigor- 
ous strokes.  When  we  cleared  the  entrance,  and 
got  into  smoother  water,  I  shipped  the  oars, 
stepped  the  mast  I  had  made  during  our  so- 
journ on  the  island  to  take  the  place  of  the 
broken  one,  set  a  small  sail  I  had  improvised 
in  idle  moments  out  of  some  spare  canvas  which 
I  had  luckily  found  in  the  after  locker  together 
with  the  remaining  pieces  left  over  from  my 
tailoring,  and  then  I  came  aft  and  seized  the 
tiller. 

My  lady  had  sat  silent  most  of  the  time,  closely 
watching  me,  but  now  she  asked  a  pertinent 
question. 

"Whither  are  we  bound?" 

Her  interrogation  recalled  me  to  myself.  I 
had  really  given  the  matter  no  thought  at  all. 
All  that  I  had  permitted  myself  to  decide  upon 
was  to  get  away  from  the  island,  and  I  had 
hoisted  the  sail  and  put  the  boat  before  the  wind 
without  a  thought  as  to  its  direction. 

It  so  happened — indeed,  I  humbly  submit  that 

324 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

perhaps  it  did  not  happen  by  chance  but 
was  so  ordered  by  that  Providence  which  had 
watched  over  us — that  the  wind  blew  directly  off 
the  island  and  the  boat  was  headed  toward  the 
distant  shores  of  the  other  islands  whence  the 
marauders  had  come  and  where  The  Rose  of 
Devon  had  been  wrecked.  I  recollected  from 
the  conversation  I  had  had  with  Pimball  that 
they  had  somehow  floated  the  ship  and  that  she 
was  seaworthy,  and  as  my  mistress  questioned  me 
the  daring  design  of  seizing  the  ship  flashed  into 
my  mind. 

Indeed,  the  enterprise  was  in  a  measure  forced 
upon  me.  We  had  no  water  in  the  boat,  prac- 
tically no  provisions.  We  were  thousands  of 
miles  away  from  the  possibility  of  passing  ships. 
Unless  some  vessel  should  be  blown  far  out  of 
her  course  by  continued  storms  there  was  ab- 
solutely no  chance  of  our  being  picked  up.  That 
email  boat  with  its  patched-up,  makeshift  equip- 
ment was  in  no  condition  anyway  for  a  long 
voyage,  even  if  we  had  plenty  of  food  and  water. 
The  Rose  of  Devon  would  provide  everything 
we  needed  if  we  once  got  aboard  her,  and  while 
two  would  be  an  almost  impossible  crew  for  such 

325 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

a  ship,  as  I  had  said  or  thought,  yet  if  any  of  her 
spars  still  stood,  by  means  of  tackles  I  might 
make  shift  to  hoist  a  rag  of  sail.  If  the  vessel 
were  still  tight  she  could  carry  us  indefinitely, 
and  perhaps  by  taking  advantage  of  every  wind 
that  was  favorable  we  might  in  the  end  make  the 
South  American  Coast.  Of  course  the  work 
would  all  have  to  be  done  by  me,  but  my  lady 
had  often  steered  The  Rose  of  Devon  during  the 
outward  voyage,  for  her  pleasure,  and  she  could 
relieve  me  long  enough  for  me  to  get  the  abso- 
lutely necessary  sleep  so  long  as  we  were  aboard 
her.  At  any  rate,  half-naked,  hungry,  thirsty, 
as  we  were  in  a  small  boat  stripped  of  every- 
thing, she  was  our  only  resource.  Therefore  I 
answered  briefly. 

"I  am  going  to  seize  The  Rose  of  Devon  if  I 
can  find  her." 

"But  there  will  be  men  aboard  her,"  said  my 
mistress  apprehensively. 

"Doubtless,"  I  returned,  "but  at  most  there 
cannot  be  many  of  them.  We  saw  enough  on 
the  island  to  know  that." 

"Yes,"  admitted  the  brave  woman  by  my  side, 
"that  is  true." 

326 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

"No  one  would  offer  to  stay  on  the  ship  when 
he  had  a  chance  to  hunt  for  treasure  and  for 
you  and  me." 

"No,  I  suppose  not." 

"They  would  have  to  be  constrained  to  stay 
there,  and  as  I  take  it  that  the  native  fighting 
force  of  the  island  on  which  the  ship  was  cast 
was  in  the  canoes,  there  would  not  be  any  neces- 
sity for  guarding  her  heavily.  Besides,  two  or 
three  with  firearms  could  stop  any  attack  that 
might  be  made." 

"But  we  have  no  firearms,"  said  my  lady. 

"We  have  weapons,"  I  returned.  I  had  picked 
up  the  musket  from  a  shelf  of  rock  where  I  had 
laid  it,  and  she  still  clung  to  the  pistol  with 
which  she  had  saved  my  life  by  her  adroitness. 
"We  have  firearms,"  I  continued,  "but  they  are 
useless  to  us  without  powder  and  shot" — all  that 
we  had,  had  either  been  washed  away  or  wetted 
so  that  it  was  of  no  use — "but  I  have  my  cutlass 
and  I  consider  myself  a  match  for  all  the  mur- 
dering pirates  that  may  be  left  on  that  ship." 

"I  believe  that,  too,"  she  said,  looking  at  me 
admiringly,  "when  I  think  of  your  determina- 
tion, your  feats  of  strength,  your — " 

327 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"They  were  nothing.  They  did  not  measure 
up  to  the  inspiration  I  had,"  said  I. 

But  she  shook  her  head  at  this  and  I  continued, 
not  daring  to  notice  her  overmuch. 

"I  take  it  that  those  islands  are  four  or  five 
leagues  away,"  I  looked  over  the  side,  "and  this 
boat  is  making  not  more  than  three-quarters  of 
a  league  an  hour.  That  is  all  we  can  do  with 
such  a  poor  makeshift  for  a  sail."  I  looked  up 
into  the  sky,  then  at  my  watch.  It  was  high 
noon.  I  had  not  dreamed  that  we  had  been  so 
long  in  our  adventures  that  day.  "It  will  be 
dusk  before  we  reach  the  nearest  island.  It  may 
be  that  haply  we  shall  find  The  Rose  of  Devon 
there." 

"And  if  we  do,  what  will  be  your  plans?" 

"I  propose  to  douse  the  sail  when  we  get  near 
enough  to  see  her,  which  will  be  long  before  she 
can  see  us,  then  wait  until  nightfall,  take  to  the 
oars,  row  alongside,  fasten  the  boat  aft,  and 
clamber  aboard.  If  there  are  only  two  or  three 
on  her  there  will  probably  be  but  one  on  watch. 
I  can  throttle  him  without  arousing  the  attention 
of  the  others.  Perhaps  I  can  confine  the  others 
below.  Then  we  can  cut  the  cable,  hoist  a  rag 

328 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

of  sail  somehow,  and  be  away  before  morning." 

"But  if  there  are  savages  aboard?" 

"I  do  not  think  there  will  be  any,  but  if  there 
are  I  must  even  chance  it." 

"It  sounds  terribly  dangerous." 

"It  is  dangerous,  but  it  is  our  only  chance. 
How  long  do  you  think  we  would  last  in  this 
open  boat?  In  two  or  three  days  we  would  be 
mad  for  food  and  drink,  burning  up  under  this 
tropic  sun." 

"Could  we  not  land  on  one  of  the  other 
islands?" 

"They  are  all  populated,  I  take  it,  and  our 
end  would  be  certain." 

"And  what  do  you  propose  that  I  should  do 
while  you  are  fighting  for  me  on  the  ship?" 

"You  will  stay  in  the  boat  which  I  shall  make 
fast  to  the  ship,  and  if  I  should  fail — " 

"Oh,  don't  say  that!" 

"But  I  must  say  it.  It  is  not  beyond  possibil- 
ity that  I  shall,  although  I  do  not  think  it,  be- 
cause I  believe  God  Who  has  preserved  us  hith- 
erto does  not  intend  that  we  shall  finally  fail. 
But  if  I  should  be  overpowered  or  killed,  there  is 
a  plug  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  All  you  have 

329 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

to  do  is  to  cast  off  the  painter  and  pull  out  the 
plug  and — drift  away." 

"I  understand,"  she  said.  "And  if  anything 
happens  to  you,"  she  looked  at  me  directly  as  she 
spoke,  "I  would  rather  drift  away  and  drown — 
than  live  without  you." 

"Let  us  not  dwell  upon  that,"  said  I.  "Let  us 
hope  that  nothing  will  happen." 

She  nodded  her  head. 

"Now,"  I  continued,  "I  am  going  to  ask  you 
a  strange  thing." 

She  looked  at  me  fearlessly  and  the  trust  and 
confidence  of  her  next  words  repaid  all  my 
efforts  a  thousandfold. 

"You  can  ask  me  anything  you  like,"  she  said 
instantly. 

"I  am  frightfully  weary.  I  shall  need  what 
strength  I  have  for  the  work  of  the  night.  The 
breeze  is  gentle  and  fair.  There  is  no  likeli- 
hood that  it  will  change.  All  you  have  to  do  is 
to  keep  the  boat  on  its  course  and  awaken  me  if 
anything  should  chance.  Will  you  try  it  and 
help  me  thus  far?  I  must  have  some  sleep." 

"I  understand  perfectly,"  was  her  brave  and 
direct  reply,  "and  you  can  go  to  sleep  with  per- 

330 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

feet  confidence.  I  will  watch  over  you  and  the 
boat  as  best  I  can,  God  helping  me.  You  know, 
I  slept  most  of  the  night,  myself,  and  I  feel  in 
no  need  of  rest  now." 

With  my  cutlass  I  broke  open  a  cocoanut,  the 
milk  and  meat  of  which  refreshed  us  both,  and 
then,  as  I  was,  I  threw  myself  down  on  the  bot- 
tom of  the  boat,  a  hard  bed,  but  one  made  soft  by 
great  weariness  and  want  of  sleep.  The  last 
thing  I  remember  was  the  picture  of  Mistress 
Wilberforce,  beautiful  in  her  disarray,  sitting  in 
the  stern  sheets,  holding  the  tiller  in  one  hand 
and  the  sheet  in  the  other,  looking  down  upon 
me  with  a  gaze  I  did  not  dare  to  think  upon. 
I  had  no  idea  how  weary  I  was,  for  I  was  asleep 
almost  instantly,  and  it  was  five  o'clock  accord- 
ing to  my  watch  before  she  awakened  me  with  a 
touch  of  her  little  foot. 

Although  I  was  strained  and  stiff  from  the 
cramped  position  and  the  hard  planking  on 
which  I  lay,  I  knew  that  a  stretch  or  two  would 
fix  me  and  I  was  greatly  refreshed  by  my  sleep 
and  ready  for  a  giant's  work. 

"I  had  to  wake  you,"  she  said,  reluctantly  I 
thought,  "because  the  island  is  in  sight,  and — " 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"The  ship!"  I  cried. 

"Yes,  you  may  see  it  dead  ahead." 

Whereat  I  got  to  my  knees  and  shaded  my 
eyes,  for  the  sun  had  not  yet  set,  and  stared  over 
the  water. 

Sure  enough,  there  lay  The  Rose  of  Devon. 
She  was  still  hull  down  in  the  shadow,  but  we 
could  see  the  masts,  that  is,  what  was  left  of 
them.  The  mizzenmast  was  gone  at  the  deck 
and  the  main  topmast  at  the  hounds,  but  the  fore- 
mast still  stood  and  the  fore-topmast.  The 
mainyard  was  still  across,  as  were  the  two  yards 
of  the  foremast.  That  was  all  I  could  make  out 
then. 

The  island  merited  no  particular  description, 
for  it  was  like  hundreds  of  other  South  Seas 
Pacific  islands.  It  was  low  and  hilly  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  reef,  but  there  was  a  broad  opening 
through  the  reef,  at  least  we  thought  so  be- 
cause the  breakers  suddenly  ceased  and  there 
was  a  long  stretch  of  smooth  black  water  before 
they  began  again. 

We  had  no  time  for  many  details,  and  indeed 
I  came  instantly  to  action.  The  breeze  had 
practically  died  out  and  although  the  earthquake 

332 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

and  tidal  wave  still  caused  a  heavy  sea,  it  was 
gradually  quieting  down  to  long,  gentle  undula- 
tions. I  turned  aft,  unstepped  the  mast  and 
doused  the  sail,  carefully  placing  both  where  they 
might  be  of  use  in  an  emergency.  Then  I  de- 
cided to  let  the  boat  drift  for  a  while,  until  it 
grew  dark  enough  to  enable  me  to  approach 
the  ship  without  danger  of  observation. 

We  made  a  good  meal  off  the  scanty  pro- 
visions we  had  left.  My  mistress  was  for  saving 
them,  but  I  bluntly  pointed  out  that  either  we 
should  have  plenty  in  a  few  hours  or  be  in  no 
need  of  anything  to  eat  forever  after,  so  we  satis- 
fied our  hunger  and  thirst  abundantly,  and  then 
as  it  wanted  an  hour  or  two  of  night,  I  made  my 
lady  lie  down,  using  the  sail  and  my  waistcoat 
to  soften  the  planking,  and  rest  in  her  turn.  She 
obeyed  me  without  question  and,  in  spite  of  her 
declaration  that  she  was  not  tired,  I  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  in  a  few  minutes  that  she 
had  fallen  asleep. 

I  sat  silently  watching  her  through  the  hours 
while  the  sun  sank,  while  the  dusk  was  followed 
by  darkness,  until  the  stars  came  out  and  then  I 
stepped  across  her,  seized  the  oars  and  started  on 

333 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

my  long  pull  toward  the  ship.  We  had  drifted 
southward  I  opined,  but  I  had  taken  my  bearings 
carefully  by  the  stars  and  I  knew  exactly  in  what 
direction  to  send  the  dinghy.  The  noise  of  the 
oars  in  the  rowlocks  finally  awakened  my  lady. 
She  got  to  her  feet,  went  aft,  took  the  tiller  and, 
upon  my  giving  her  directions,  steered  a  true 
course  for  the  ship. 

I  suppose  it  was  close  on  to  nine  o'clock  when 
we  reached  her  vicinity.  I  could  not  see  my 
watch.  We  had  no  means  of  making  a  light, 
if  we  had  dared  upon  the  experiment.  The 
night  was  dark  and  moonless  and,  save  for  the 
stars,  as  black  as  Egypt  was  fabled  to  be.  The 
waves  rolling  through  the  opening  of  the  reef 
and  crashing  on  the  shore  drowned  the  noise  of 
the  oars  in  the  rowlocks.  The  tide  was  in  full 
flood,  I  judged,  in  fact  just  beginning  to  ebb,  and 
the  breeze  which  had  sprung  up  after  sunset 
was,  as  usual,  offshore,  two  things  greatly  to 
our  advantage. 

We  did  not  see  the  ship  until  we  were  almost 
upon  her.  Suddenly  she  loomed  blackly  out  of 
the  darkness,  like  a  smudge  of  soot  of  darker  hue 
than  the  rest.  There  was  not  a  light  upon  her. 

334 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

I  rowed  close  to  her,  rounded  her  counter,  and 
discovered  the  Jacob's  ladder  which  usually  hung 
there  still  in  place.  I  fastened  the  boat  with  a 
turn  of  the  painter  around  the  ladder  and  be- 
layed it  to  a  cleat  aft,  drew  my  sword  from  my 
sheath,  and  then  turned  for  a  last  word. 

"You  know  what  to  do  if  I  don't  come  back?" 
I  whispered. 

She  nodded.  I  put  out  my  hand  and  she  took 
it  in  both  of  hers.  I  was  standing  at  the  time  and 
she  was  sitting,  and  before  I  could  stop  her  she 
bent  and  kissed  my  great  hand.  I  could  not 
trust  myself  any  further.  With  a  prayer,  silent 
but  none  the  less  fervent,  I  seized  the  rungs  of 
the  Jacob's  ladder  and  slowly  mounted  to  the 
level  of  the  rail  abaft  the  trunk  cabin  which 
served  as  a  sort  of  poop  deck.  I  had  taken  off 
my  shoes  before  I  did  so,  and  save  for  the  creak- 
ing caused  by  the  swaying  induced  by  my  weight 
on  the  ladder,  I  went  up  without  a  sound. 

I  swung  my  leg  over  the  rail,  after  having 
taken  a  quick  look  along  the  deck  and  having  seen 
nothing.  Before  I  disappeared  over  the  side  I 
turned  and  peered  down  through  the  black- 
ness at  her  upturned  face.  I  could  see  dimly  its 

335 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

whiteness.  I  waved  my  hand  to  her  and  she 
waved  hers  in  turn.  She  had  the  hardest  part, 
that  of  sitting  still,  not  knowing  whether  success 
was  to  attend  our  efforts  or  failure.  The  line 
that  was  attached  to  the  boat  plug  was  in  her 
hand.  The  next  few  moments  would  determine 
whether  she  would  rejoin  me  on  the  ship  or 
whether  she  would  cast  off  the  painter,  pull  out 
the  plug,  and  drift  away  with  the  young  ebb. 

I  had  that  picture  in  my  mind's  eye,  too,  and 
if  I  had  needed  anything  to  nerve  me  to  the 
service  of  my  mistress  it  would  have  been  that. 
I  had  carried  my  cutlass  in  my  teeth  as  I  climbed 
up  the  ladder.  I  instantly  shifted  it  to  my  hand, 
peering  carefully  about  me  as  I  made  my  way 
along  the  top  of  the  cabin.  The  deck  was  in  a 
frightful  state  of  confusion.  One  of  the  deck 
houses  had  been  blown  in  by  the  storm  and  pieces 
of  wreckage  lay  all  about.  The  starboard  rail 
had  been  shattered  along  the  waist.  They  had 
made  little  effort  it  seemed  to  clear  up  the  raffle 
and  the  wreckage. 

I  made  my  way  forward  slowly  and  with  all 
the  softness  of  a  great  cat  until  I  came  to  the 
break  of  the  cabin.  Everything  was  in  shadow 

336 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

and  darkness,  of  course,  yet  I  thought  I  detected 
someone  leaning  against  the  starboard  rail  on 
the  quarter-deck  abreast  the  mainmast,  looking 
toward  the  land.  I  stared  and  the  longer  I 
stared  the  more  convinced  I  became  that  some- 
one was  there.  I  'crossed  over  to  the  port  side 
and  slipped  down  to  the  quarter-deck.  Silently 
as  before,  I  made  my  way  over  the  littered  deck 
in  the  direction  of  the  standing  figure. 

If  the  deck  had  been  clear,  I  could  have 
reached  him  without  attracting  his  attention,  but 
within  a  few  feet  of  him  I  stepped  upon  a  round 
marlinspike  which  slid  under  my  feet  and  the 
effort  to  recover  my  balance  aroused  the 
watcher's  attention.  He  looked  around  suspi- 
ciously, but  the  next  moment  I  was  upon  him.  I 
did  not  know  how  many  people  were  on  that  ship 
and  I  could  not  afford  to  make  any  noise.  If  I 
were  to  succeed  I  must  deal  with  the  enemy  one 
at  a  time.  I  'caught  this  man  by  the  throat  with 
one  hand.  The  next  instant  I  saw  a  flash  of 
something  in  the  air  and  I  was  just  in  time  to 
seize  his  descending  arm  grasping  his  sheath 
knife. 

I  held  him  in  an  iron  grip.  He  kicked  at  me 
337 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

viciously  but  I  lifted  him  higher  into  the  air  and 
sank  my  fingers  tighter  and  tighter  in  his  throat. 
Thereafter  I  held  him  there  waiting.  God 
knows  how  I  accomplished  it,  but  I  did.  Pres- 
ently I  felt  him  grow  limp  in  my  hands.  I  had 
broken  his  wrist  I  discovered  afterward,  and  had 
nearly  choked  him  to  death.  I  laid  him  down 
on  the  deck  and  with  a  piece  of  rope  I  lashed 
him  hand  and  foot.  I  did  n't  know  whether  he 
was  dead  or  not  but  I  could  n't  afford  to  take  any 
chances.  I  doubled  another  piece  of  rope  and 
thrust  it  tightly  between  his  jaws  which  I  pried 
open,  and  so  left  him  bound  and  gagged. 

I  thought  I  had  worked  silently,  but  either  I 
had  made  more  noise  than  I  fancied  or  else  it 
had  come  time  for  them  to  relieve  the  watch. 
But  for  whatsoever  cause  it  may  be,  as  I  was 
bending  over  him,  a  ray  of  light  suddenly  shot 
through  the  darkness.  It  came  from  the  com- 
panion hatchway  which  opened  on  the  deck  from 
the  low  break  of  the  trunk  cabin,  rising  a  few 
feet  above  the  quarter-deck.  I  sprang  to  my  feet 
and  turned  instantly,  sword  in  hand,  and  the  next 
instant  three  figures  broke  out  of  the  light.  The 
lantern  they  carried  illuminated  me  completely. 

338 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

If  I  had  had  more  time  I  should  have  jumped 
back    into    the    shadows — I    was    quick-witted 
enough  to  think  of  it — but  the  time  was  lacking. 
The  next  moment  the  three  precipitated  them- 
selves upon  me.     They  were  half  dressed,  two  of 
them  had  sheath  knives  and  the  third  a  cutlass. 
Fortunately  none  of  them  had  brought  a  pistol. 
They  were  courageous  enough,  I  will  say  that 
for  them.     And  his  daring  brought  the  first  man 
who  had  the  drawn  sword  to  his  fate,  for  as  he 
lunged  at  me  I  spitted  him  with  my  own  cut- 
lass.    I  drove  the  blow  home  to  the  hilt.     The 
man  went  down  like  a  ninepin,  dragging  the 
sword  from  my  hand,  and  as  fortune  would  have 
it  he  fell  in  front  of  number  two,  staggering  him 
so  that  he  dropped  the  lantern,  leaving  the  deck 
in  darkness  save  for  the  light  which  came  from 
the  after  cabin.     Being  otherwise  weaponless,  I 
received  number  two  with  a  mighty  blow  on 
the  jaw  from  my  clenched  fist  which  temporarily 
accounted  for  him.     Number  three  wavered  in- 
decisively for  a  moment  giving  me  time  to  draw 
out  my  cutlass  from  the  body  of  the  dead  man. 
The  blade  was  broken  off  about  six  inches  from 
the  point,  but  nevertheless  in  a  hand  like  mine  it 

339 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

was  a  terrible  weapon.  I  did  not  give  him  time 
to  recover,  for  I  sprang  upon  him.  He  thrust 
at  me  with  his  own  knife  half-heartedly,  but  in 
a  moment  I  struck  it  out  of  his  hand  and  sent  it 
flying  over  the  rail  and  into  the  sea. 

"Now,"  said  I,  "get  down  on  your  knees  and 
beg  for  your  life." 

There  must  have  been  something  compelling 
in  my  manner  for  he  instantly  obeyed  me.  He 
threw  himself  flat  before  me  and  it  was  not  until 
I  prodded  him  with  my  blade  that  he  stopped 
howling. 

"Tell  me  quickly,"  I  said,  "and  tell  me  truly, 
who  are  on  the  ship?" 

"There  were  four  of  us,"  he  began. 

"That  is  enough  for  the  present,"  I  answered, 
for  I  had  accounted  for  the  whole  four.  "Any 
natives?" 

"None." 

"Come  with  me,"  I  said. 

I  caught  him  by  the  collar  of  his  shirt,  dragged 
him  to  his  feet,  marched  him  along  the  deck, 
and  bundled  him  to  the  forepeak.  I  drew  the 
hatch  cover,  battened  it  down  and  locked  it.  I 
knew  that  he  could  not  get  out  until  I  let  him. 

340 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

Then  I  walked  back  to  the  man  I  had  struck 
with  my  fist  but  discovered  no  signs  of  returning 
consciousness  in  him.  He  was  still  helpless  but 
I  lashed  and  gagged  him  as  I  had  the  first  man. 
Having  made  sure  that  I  had  nothing  to  fear 
from  these  men  I  sprang  to  the  rail  on  the  top 
of  the  trunk  cabin. 

"Mistress  Lucy,"  I  cried. 

"Oh,  thank  God,  thank  God,"  came  her  voice 
in  the  darkness.  "I  heard  the  shouting,  I  saw  the 
light.  Are  you  unharmed?" 

"Entirely,"  I  answered,  "and  I  have  the  ship. 
Leave  the  boat  fast  as  it  is  and  climb  aboard. 
Stay,  perhaps  I  would  better  descend  and  help 
you." 

"No,"  she  said,  "I  can  manage  it  myself." 

I  leaned  far  over  the  rail  and  as  soon  as  she 
came  within  reach  I  caught  her  arm  and  pres- 
ently I  had  the  satisfaction  of  lifting  her  up  on 
the  top  of  the  trunk  cabin  by  my  side. 

"Safe  now!"  I  cried  triumphantly,  resisting  an 
overwhelming  temptation  to  take  her  in  my  arms 
and  shout  for  joy. 

"What  next?"  she  asked. 

Singular  how  she  asked  me  that  question  in 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

every  emergency.  Well,  I  had,  as  I  generally 
had,  an  answer  for  her. 

"I  will  get  another  lantern  out  of  the  cabin," 
I  answered,  "and  then  we  shall  see." 

To  leap  down  the  companion  ladder  and  fetch 
the  lantern  burning  there  was  the  work  of  a  few 
seconds.  I  had  forgot  the  dead  man  whom  I 
had  thrust  through  with  my  sword,  but  there  he 
lay  in  full  view.  My  mistress  screamed  faintly. 
I  cursed  myself  for  my  forgetfulness.  I  had  her 
turn  her  back  and  without  more  ado  I  picked  the 
dead  man  up  and  hurled  him  overboard,  praying 
that  God  might  have  mercy  on  his  soul,  but 
otherwise  giving  him  little  thought. 

"Here  are  two  men,"  said  I,  flashing  the  lan- 
tern over  them,  "they  are  still  alive  but  bound 
and  helpless.  I  must  get  the  ship  under  way 
and  I  must  depend  upon  you.  If  you  will  come 
forward  with  me  we  will  make  shift  to  hoist  the 
jib  or  staysail,  it  is  all  we  can  do  in  this  darkness. 
We  will  cut  the  cable,  and  as  the  wind  is  offshore 
and  the  tide  beginning  to  ebb,  we  will  get  away 
from  these  horrible  islands." 

Hand  in  hand  we  ran  rapidly  forward.  For- 
tunately, the  bowsprit  still  stood,  even  the  flying 

342 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  SHIP 

jib  boom  was  in  place.  I  overhauled  the  gear 
and  the  two  of  us  hoisted  the  jib,  my  lady  pulling 
on  the  halyards  with  me  like  a  little  man. 

"Now,"  said  I,  "do  you  go  aft  and  take  the 
wheel.  Take  the  lantern  with  you.  I  will  hold 
out  the  jib  sheet,  cast  her  head  to  port,  and  tell 
you  in  what  direction  to  steer." 

She  hesitated  a  moment,  fearful  at  leaving  me. 

"There  is  no  danger,"  I  said.  "There  were 
but  four  men  on  the  ship,  one  is  dead  and  over- 
board, another  locked  up  in  the  forepeak  beneath 
my  feet,  and  two  are  as  helpless  as  logs." 

"I  will  go,"  said  the  girl  resolutely,  "although 
it  is  frightfully  dark." 

"The  least  call  will  bring  me  to  your  side," 
said  I.  "Take  the  lantern  with  you.  I  need  it 
not." 

I  watched  her  walk  rapidly  along  the  deck, 
lantern  in  hand.  When  she  reached  the  wheel 
I  told  her  to  cast  off  its  lashings,  put  it  amidships, 
and  then  with  an  axe,  which  I  had  found  lying 
where  they  had  left  it  after  they  had  cut  the 
wreckage  of  the  masts  away,  I  severed  the  cable. 
Thereafter  I  called  aft  to  my  lady  to  put  the 
helm  hird  astarboard.  The  bow  of  The  Rose 

343 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

of  Devon  slowly  swung  around,  the  sail  filled 
and  presently  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  her 
slip  through  the  entrance  in  the  lagoon,  past  the 
reef  and  into  the  open  sea. 

I  belayed  the  jib  sheet,  ran  aft  and  took  the 
helm.  We  were  free.  My  mistress  refused  to 
go  below,  refused  to  leave  my  side  in  fact,  so 
until  daybreak  we  remained  on  deck,  I  steering, 
she  seated  close  by.  And  so  we  sped  on  through 
the  sweet  summer  night 


344 


CHAPTER  XX 

SHOWS  HOW  WE  SAILED  TO  SAFETY  AGAIN 

I  DO  not  suppose  that  a  man  and  a  woman 
were  ever  confronted  with  a  greater  task 
than  that  which  we  faced  that  morning.  The 
problem  met  me  in  so  many  ways  that  I  was  fairly 
puzzled  at  it.  The  two  men  lying  bound  and 
gagged  on  the  deck  had,  of  course,  recovered 
consciousness.  The  man  below  in  the  forepeak 
had  given  some  noisy  signs  of  his  presence. 
These  three  had  to  be  dealt  with  in  some  way. 
The  ship  itself  was  wrecked,  aloft  that  is,  and  I 
had  as  yet  no  means  of  telling  whether  she  were 
tight  below,  although,  as  I  deemed  she  sat  about 
as  usual  in  the  water,  I  concluded  that  if  she  had 
sprung  a  leak  they  had  succeeded  in  stopping  it. 
The  dawn  disclosed  a  white-faced  man  and 
woman  staring  at  each  other  near  the  wheel. 
Breakfast  was  a  problem  in  itself,  too.  On  the 
one  hand,  I  did  not  like  to  send  my  lady  below 
without  at  least  having  made  some  sort  of  inspec- 

345 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

tion  myself,  nor  did  I  like  to  leave  her  alone  on 
deck,  on  the  other. 

"Of  what  are  you  thinking?"  she  asked  pres- 
ently, seeing  my  brows  knitted  with  the  stress  of 
my  mental  effort. 

"Breakfast,  first  of  all,  something  to  eat." 

"Let  me  go  below  and  get  it." 

"No,"  I  replied,  "I  must  see  what's  below 
first  myself." 

"Very  well  then,"  was  her  prompt,  brave 
answer.  She  rose  as  she  spoke  and  seized  the 
spokes  of  the  wheel.  "I  will  steer  the  ship,  only 
do  you  hurry  back." 

"If  I  only  had  a  pistol  to  leave  with  you,"  I 
said. 

"There  is  no  danger,"  she  answered  bravely 
enough,  "there  were  only  four  men  on  the  ship 
you  said.  One  is  dead,  one  is  locked  up  forward, 
and  the  other  two — " 

"I  will  make  sure  about  them,"  I  interrupted, 
going  over  and  examining  the  lashings  of  the 
two. 

They  were  frightened  to  death  and  the  man 
with  the  broken  wrist,  although  I  did  n't  know 
it  then,  was  suffering  greatly.  Their  eyes  were 

346 


WE  SAIL  TO  SAFETY  AGAIN 

mutely  appealing,  but  I  had  no  pity  to  waste. 
Seeing  that  they  were  tightly  bound  and  the 
hatch  forward  securely  battened,  I  turned  and 
ran  below. 

As  fortune  would  have  it  a  brace  of  pistols 
lay  on  the  table  in  the  cabin.  One  of  them  was 
loaded  and  primed  and  ready  for  use.  It  was 
lucky  for  me  that  they  had  not  used  it  last  night, 
I  thought.  I  snatched  it  up,  returned  to  the 
deck,  and  laid  it  at  my  lady's  side.  Thereafter  I 
felt  much  safer  for  I  knew  she  could  use  it  on 
occasion.  I  then  went  below  and  resumed  my 
search.  The  cabin  was  frightfully  untidy  and 
disorderly.  Some  of  the  mutineers  at  least  had 
made  it  their  headquarters  and  the  table  was 
covered  with  an  accumulation  of  soiled  dishes. 
On  a  platter  I  found  some  cold  salt  beef  and 
bread  and  other  things.  There  was  no  time  to 
be  dainty,  but  I  did  make  shift  to  clean  a  plate, 
heaped  it  with  hard  bread  and  beef,  drew  a  pan- 
nikin of  water,  and  returned  to  the  deck  with  it. 
We  made  our  first  breakfast  by  the  wheel. 

I  had  been  thinking  hard  and  I  had  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  our  only  safety  lay  in  keeping 
the  three  members  of  the  crew  securely  locked 

347 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

up.  If  I  could  have  depended  upon  one  of  them 
the  problem  would  have  been  simplified  im- 
mensely, and  if  I  could  have  depended  upon  two 
we  could  have  got  along  with  some  degree  of 
comfort,  for  the  three  of  us  with  the  aid  of  tackles 
could  have  handled  the  ship  while  my  lady 
steered.  But  it  was  not  to  be  thought  of. 

First  I  took  the  gags  out  of  the  mouths  of  the 
two  men,  whereat  he  of  the  broken  wrist  told 
me  of  his  hurt.  I  cast  off  the  lashings  to  verify 
his  statement.  I  had  brought  up  from  my  cabin 
and  from  Captain  Matthews'  several  sets  of  irons 
for  wrists  and  ankles.  They  had  not  disturbed 
them  although  they  had  otherwise  rummaged 
and  plundered  the  cabins  and  had  destroyed 
much  in  them  wantonly.  I  clapped  double  irons 
on  the  villain  who  was  unhurt  and  irons  on  the 
ankles  of  the  man  with  the  broken  wrist.  He 
was  in  great  pain  and  more  or  less  helpless.  I 
fastened  his  feet  to  a  ring  bolt  in  the  deck  and 
then  took  the  other  man  and  stowed  him  below 
in  my  cabin  which  I  carefully  cleared  of  every- 
thing and  which  I  securely  locked  on  the  out- 
side. He  was  a  small,  slight  man  and  I  knew 
that  the  door  would  hold  him,  but  to  make  as- 

348 


WE  SAIL  TO  SAFETY  AGAIN 

surance  doubly  sure,  I  intended  to  put  up  a  bar 
when  I  had  time. 

Him  of  the  broken  wrist  I  put  in  the  fourth 
cabin  which  had  not  been  occupied  during  the 
cruise,  as  we  had  carried  no  second  mate.  Be- 
fore I  turned  the  lock  on  him  I  set  his  wrist  and 
put  it  in  splints  as  best  I  could.  It  was  his  right 
wrist  and  little  danger  could  be  expected  from 
him.  Nevertheless,  I  locked  him  up  securely. 
I  saw  that  each  room  was  provided  with  bread 
and  meat  and  water.  I  told  them  that  I  would 
visit  them  once  a  day  and  give  them  food  enough 
for  the  day,  and  that  if  they  attempted  to  break 
out  I  would  give  them  short  shrift  indeed. 

Taking  the  pistol  from  my  mistress,  I  then 
went  forward,  opened  the  fore  hatch  and 
descended  into  the  forepeak.  It  was  well  I  had 
a  weapon,  for  the  man  had  possessed  himself  of 
a  cutlass  and  I  have  no  doubt,  if  I  had  not  pre- 
sented the  pistol  at  him  so  soon  as  I  put  foot  on 
the  ladder,  he  would  have  cut  me  down.  I  had 
some  trouble  in  getting  him  to  put  down  his 
weapon,  he  was  so  ugly  and  disobedient,  and  I 
had  about  made  up  my  mind  to  pull  the  trigger 
and  end  it,  as  I  had  no  time  to  waste  on  a  mur- 

349 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

derer  like  that  one.  I  guess  he  must  have  seen 
in  my  face  that  my  patience  was  at  an  end  for 
finally  I  had  him  in  double  irons  as  well.  I  left 
him  in  the  forecastle,  first  making  a  thorough 
search  for  and  removing  everything  that  he 
would  be  able  to  use  as  a  weapon.  A  good  many 
of  the  seamen's  chests  were  there  but  they  were 
locked  and  I  did  n't  disturb  them,  as  he  had  no 
means  of  getting  into  them.  I  told  him  what  I 
had  told  the  others.  He  was  the  biggest  and 
strongest  man  and  he  had  the  strongest  prison. 
The  forepeak  was  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
ship  by  a  stout  bulkhead  and  the  only  way  he 
could  get  out  was  by  the  hatch,  which  I  drew 
over  until  it  was  but  six  inches  open  and  there 
I  secured  it.  The  first  part  of  the  problem  was 
thus  solved. 

During  all  this,  my  mistress  had  stood  bravely 
by  the  helm.  I  shall  never  forget  how  beautiful 
she  looked,  with  the  fresh  breeze  bringing  color 
into  her  pale  cheeks  and  blowing  back  wisps  of 
her  golden  hair,  lovely  in  its  disarray.  We  were 
both  of  us  exactly  as  we  had  been  when  we  came 
out  of  the  cave.  I  was  about  to  go  on  further 
business  when  she  interrupted  me. 

350 


WE  SAIL  TO  SAFETY  AGAIN 

"If  you  please,"  she  began  with  unusual 
humility,  "Master  Hampdon,  if  you  can  spare 
me  a  little  while  to  myself  now  I  should  like  to 
go  below.  Perhaps  the  villains  have  left  some 
of  my  clothes  intact  and  I  may  change  my  dress 
and  wash  my  face,  and — " 

"I  am  a  brute  not  to  have  thought  of  it,"  I 
said.  "Keep  the  pistol  with  you.  Who  knows 
what  may  chance?  I  will  take  the  wheel. 
Come  to  me  as  soon  as  you  may,  for  I  shall  be 
anxious  when  you  are  out  of  my  sight.  When 
I  have  finished  on  the  deck  I  expect  to  make  a 
thorough  investigation  of  the  ship  to  see  what 
condition  she  is  in  and  what  is  best  to  be  done." 

"I  shall  hasten,"  she  said,  turning  away  and 
tripping  lightly  down  the  ladder. 

In  an  incredibly  short  time  she  was  back  trans- 
formed. Although  her  cabin  had  been  occupied 
by  some  of  the  men  and  her  things  had  been 
overhauled  and  were  in  a  state  of  confusion,  yet 
she  had  found  suitable  clothing  and  she  presently 
came  up  on  deck  looking  as  fresh  and  dainty  as 
if  she  had  never  been  on  an  adventure  in  her  life. 
And  yet,  will  you  believe  me?  it  was  with  a  cer- 
tain very  vivid  regret  I  saw  her  put  aside  the 

351 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

tunic  I  had  made  her,  which  had  served  her  so 
well. 

"I  suppose,"  said  I,  "that  I  ought  to  be  doing 
the  same  thing,  but  there  will  be  time  enough 
for  that  later  on.  How  do  you  feel?" 

"Fit  for  anything." 

"And  you  will  take  the  wheel?" 

"Gladly." 

"Very  well,"  said  I,  "you  have  nothing  to  do 
but  keep  her  before  the  wind." 

With  that,  axe  in  hand  I  went  forward.  I  put 
in  the  hardest  hour  or  two  of  work  in  my  life. 
I  never  stopped  a  moment  except  to  throw  back 
a  word  or  two  to  my  little  mistress  guiding  the 
ship.  By  the  time  I  had  finished,  the  decks  of 
\The  Rose  of  Devon  presented  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent appearance.  I  had  chopped  away  and 
thrown  overboard  the  mast  wreckage.  When  it 
was  too  heavy,  I  clapped  a  tackle  to  it  to  assist 
me.  The  tangled  gear  had  been  overhauled  and 
each  brace,  line,  and  halyard  had  been  coiled 
and  hung  to  its  proper  pin.  Although  the  ship 
looked  desolate  and  forlorn  enough  to  a  sailor, 
and  to  anyone  else  perhaps,  there  was  no  con- 
fusion or  disorder. 

352 


WE  SAIL  TO  SAFETY  AGAIN 

By  this  time  it  was  high  noon.  I  knocked  off 
work  therefore  and,  upon  her  insistence,  relieved 
her  at  the  wheel  while  she  went  below  to  the 
lazarette  where  the  cabin  stores  were  kept,  to 
prepare  us  something  to  eat.  She  said  that  was 
her  task,  and  although  it  irked  me  to  see  her 
compelled  to  do  anything,  there  was  truth  in  her 
words.  I  can  do  most  things  but  cook.  There, 
I  confess,  I  fail.  I  did  kindle  a  fire  for  her  in 
the  galley,  however,  and  about  one  o'clock  we 
had  a  royal  dinner,  the  first  civilized  meal,  so 
to  speak,  that  we  had  enjoyed  since  the  day  of 
the  mutiny.  She  brought  it  up  on  deck  and  we 
ate  it  together.  After  dinner  she  surprised  me 
by  proffering  me  a  pipe  which  she  had  found 
below — it  had  been  Captain  Matthews' — and  a 
pouch  of  tobacco,  and  nothing  would  do  but  that 
I  must  smoke  before  turning  to  again.  I  con- 
fess that  it  tasted  sweet  to  me,  and  felt  sorry  that 
she  could  not  enjoy  the  luxury,  and  told  her  so, 
which  seemed  to  give  her  great  amusement. 

Her  light-heartedness  cheered  me  immensely. 
To  be  sure  she  did  not  quite  imagine  the  extent 
of  the  problem  that  lay  before  us,  or  perhaps  she 
knew  more  about  it  than  I  fancied,  but  whatever 

353 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

be  the  facts,  I  could  not  feel  downhearted  or 
downcast  when  she  smiled  at  me  as  she  did  then. 

Well,  the  hour  of  refreshment  and  rest  at  last 
came  to  an  end.  Surrendering  the  wheel  to  her, 
I  went  forward.  I  had  determined  to  loose  the 
mainsail  first,  if  I  could,  and  then  loose  the  fore- 
sail and  topsail.  The  first  was  an  easy  enough 
task.  It  took  me  some  time  to  climb  out  on  each 
of  the  yardarms  and  cast  off  the  gaskets,  but 
presently  the  huge  sail  hung  in  the  buntlines.  I 
came  down  by  the  backstays,  clapped  a  watch 
tackle  on  each  sheet  and  finally  succeeded  in  get- 
ting the  sail  set  as  taut  as  the  bolt  ropes  would 
allow.  My  mistress  clapped  her  hands  with  joy 
when  I  had  succeeded.  The  slow  pace  of  the 
ship  was  much  increased  by  the  draw  of  the  big 
mainsail. 

I  did  the  same  thing  with  the  foresail  and  then 
boldly  tackled  the  fore-topsail,  but  here  I  met 
with  greater  difficulties  for  the  topsail  yard 
— it  was  a  single  topsail — had  to  be  mastheaded 
if  the  sail  was  to  be  of  any  use.  Although  I 
clapped  several  tackles  on  it  and  pulled  and 
hauled  lustily,  it  taxed  my  strength  beyond  its 
limit.  It  was  my  mistress  who  came  to  my 

354 


WE  SAIL  TO  SAFETY  AGAIN 

assistance.  She  lashed  the  wheel  amidships 
while  watching  me  pull  at  the  halyards,  and  came 
and  seized  the  tarred  rope  with  her  own  hands 
and  laid  back  with  a  will. 

It  was  just  the  added  pound  or  two  that  was 
needed,  and  slowly,  readjusting  the  tackles  from 
time  to  time,  we  at  last  mastheaded  the  fore-top- 
sail yard.  I  was  glad  that  The  Rose  of  Devon 
was  a  small  ship?  for  had  that  yard  been  a  foot 
longer  or  a  pound  heavier,  we  had  never  done  it. 
When  I  had  finished  I  carefully  braced  the 
yards,  then  I  cast  off  the  lashings  of  the  wheel 
and  shifted  it  until  the  wind  came  from  the  star- 
board quarter  and  lo  and  behold  we  were  headed 
due  eastward! 

The  breeze  was  growing  stronger  but  it  was 
still  gentle.  It  blew  fair  and  held  steady.  If  it 
would  only  blow  long  enough  and  hold  without 
change  we  would  inevitably  fetch  the  South 
American  coast,  which  I  estimated  something 
more  than  fifteen  hundred  leagues  away. 

I  rested  a  while  but  not  for  long.  It  was  late 
in  the  afternoon,  yet  I  felt  it  necessary  further  to 
overhaul  the  ship ;  so  leaving  my  mistress  again 
in  charge,  a  solitary  woman  on  a  half  wrecked 

355 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

ship  in  a  great  waste  of  unknown  seas  I — I  tell 
you  this  that  you  may  see  how  brave  she  was — 
I  went  below,  having  first  sounded  the  well  and 
found  to  my  joy  that  there  was  no  more  than  the 
usual  amount  of  water  in  it  and  that  the  ship 
evidently  was  tight.  She  must  have  gone  on  the 
sand  in  the  storm  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  start  a 
leak,  although  it  might  be  that  a  plank  had  been 
started  and  that  the  men  aboard  her,  one  of 
whom  was  an  expert  carpenter,  had  been  able  to 
get  at  it  and  caulk  it  up.  At  any  rate,  she  was 
tight. 

Everything  below  was  in  a  state  of  disorder  but 
no  especial  damage  had  been  done.  I  cleaned 
out  the  cabin,  washed  the  dishes  and  made  every- 
thing snug.  In  the  cabin  that  Pimball  had  oc- 
cupied after  my  departure  I  found  the  famous 
chart  and  the  little  image,  both  of  which  I  put 
carefully  away.  I  was  glad  to  see  them  again. 
We  have  them  still  and  often  show  them  to  our 
children  and  friends  as  we  tell  again  this  tale. 

I  also  estimated  the  provisions  in  the  lazarette. 
There  was  plenty  of  food  for  our  immediate 
needs,  although  most  of  the  liquor  was  gone. 
Then  I  went  down  into  the  hold.  I  found 

356 


WE  SAIL  TO  SAFETY  AGAIN 

enough  supplies  there  to  last  the  five  of  us  who 
were  on  board  indefinitely.  The  arms  chest  had 
been  broken  open  and  most  of  the  arms  were 
gone — I  suspected  that  they  were  back  on  the 
Island  of  the  Stairs!  Those  that  remained  I 
carefully  removed,  and  finding  powder  and  shot, 
I  charged  them  and  placed  them  under  lock  and 
key  in  Captain  Matthews'  cabin,  which  I  had 
reserved  for  my  own  use. 

By  the  time  I  had  finished,  night  had  almost 
fallen.  I  stopped  before  the  doors  where  I  had 
confined  the  prisoners  and  asked  them  how  they 
did  and  if  they  wanted  anything,  being  met  with 
oaths  and  curses  from  one  man  and  cries  of  pain 
from  the  other,  to  which  I  was  alike  indifferent. 
I  also  visited  the  man  in  the  forecastle  and  then 
came  back  to  take  the  wheel  while  my  lady  got 
our  supper. 

I  don't  think  I  was  ever  so  tired  in  my  life. 
As  I  look  back  upon  it  it  seems  to  me  that  I  had 
done  ten  men's  work.  And  yet  there  was  nothing 
but  thankfulness  in  my  heart  as  I  hung  over  the 
spokes  and  watched  the  ship  rush  toward  safety 
through  the  gently  rolling  seas.  How  merci- 
fully God  had  protected  us.  How  He  had  used 

357 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

me  to  keep  harm  from  this  poor,  helpless  young 
woman.  I  thanked  Him  for  all  His  kindness 
and  prayed  for  a  continuance  of  that  favor  until 
we  got  safely  home. 

Supper  was  soon  ready  and  it  was  a  fine  one. 
My  shipmate's  skill  at  cookery  surprised  me. 
She  had  not  stinted  in  her  preparations,  and  the 
best  that  the  ship  afforded,  and  I  have  told  you 
that  she  was  expensively,  even  luxuriously, 
stocked,  was  spread  before  me.  How  I  did  eat! 
I  am  ashamed  to  think  on  it,  even  to  this  day. 
After  supper  I  had  another  pipe,  and  then  plans 
for  the  night  had  to  be  adjusted. 

"Do  you  go  below,  Mistress  Lucy,"  I  said, 
"and  turn  in.  I  have  my  watch  and  I  will 
awaken  you  at  midnight.  You  can  then  take  the 
wheel,  and — " 

"No,"  said  the  girl,  "I  can't  think  of  going 
below  where  those  men  are  confined.  It  is 
balmy  out  here.  I  shall  sleep  here  on  the  deck 
at  your  feet,  within  touch  and  call.  I  M  rather 
have  it  so." 

I  sought  to  change  her  decision  but,  as  in  all 
matters  which  were  not  really  vital,  I  was  more 
or  less  helpless. 

358 


WE  SAIL  TO  SAFETY  AGAIN 

"Well,"  said  I,  "since  you  are  resolved,  take 
the  wheel  and  I  will  bring  up  your  things  to 
make  you  comfortable." 

With  that  I  descended  to  her  cabin  and 
brought  up  a  mattress,  pillow,  and  blankets, 
which  I  laid  on  the  deck.  The  sea  had  gone 
down  and  the  ship  was  steady  so  my  lady  could 
lie  comfortably  without  being  cast  against  any- 
thing, but  for  precaution's  sake  I  put  the  mattress 
against  the  foot  of  the  trunk  cabin  in  the  angle 
formed  by  the  companionway.  Before  Mistress 
Lucy  went  to  sleep  we  had  our  evening  prayers. 
I  had  lighted  the  binnacle  lamp  in  order  to  see 
the  compass  course  and  she  stood  by  it,  reading  a 
psalm  from  her  prayer  book,  which  she  had  car- 
ried ever  with  her,  and  so  on  until  we  said  good- 
night. She  lay  down  at  once  and  closed  her  eyes 
and  I  thought  she  was  asleep. 

The  steering  of  the  ship  was  not  very  exhaust- 
ing. Under  the  diminished  sail,  which  was  all 
that  we  could  carry,  she  steered  easily  and  the 
wheel  did  not  make  many  demands  upon  me.  I 
confess  frankly  that  I  never  was  so  utterly  weary 
in  my  life.  I  had  not  had  a  regular  sleep  for 
three  days  and  I  had  worked  to  the  extreme  limit 

359 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

of  my  strength  during  all  that  time.  I  found 
myself  nodding  over  the  wheel  and  finally  I  must 
have  gone  sound  asleep.  The  pressure  of  my 
body  as  I  leaned  on  the  spokes  brought  the  ship 
around  and  it  was  the  tremendous  slatting  of  the 
sails  in  the  wind,  which  was  ever  freshening, 
that  awoke  me. 

The  noise  awoke  my  mistress  too.  She  had 
learned  the  sailor's  trick  of  waking  with  all  her 
faculties  at  her  command,  and  this  time  she  real- 
ized the  situation  and  came  to  her  senses  quicker 
than  I  did. 

"You  were  asleep,"  she  said,  rising. 

"Aye,  that  I  was,"  I  answered  shamefacedly, 
bringing  the  ship  before  the  wind  again. 

"What  time  is  it?"  she  asked. 

When  the  sails  began  to  draw  once  more,  I 
pulled  out  my  watch  and  soon  discovered  that 
it  was  only  nine  o'clock. 

"I  have  had  one  hour's  sleep,"  she  said,  "and 
am  able  to  take  the  watch  now.  I  should  not 
have  taken  advantage  of  your  offer  before.  You 
have  done  enough  in  the  past  three  days  to  have 
killed  half  a  dozen  ordinary  men.  Now,  do  you 
go  to  sleep  and  I  will  watch." 

360 


WE  SAIL  TO  SAFETY  AGAIN 

"You  will  wake  me  at  midnight?"  I  asked. 

She  nodded.  At  this  I  put  my  watch  into  her 
hand  and  started  to  go  below. 

"No,"  she  said,  "you  must  not  leave  me.  Go 
to  sleep  here  on  the  deck  where  I  can  call  you  if 
necessary." 

I  tumbled  down  on  the  mattress  I  had  fixed 
for  her  and  almost  before  I  could  draw  the 
blanket  over  me  I  was  asleep.  I  say  it  to  my 
shame  and  her  glory  that  she  let  me  sleep  the 
long  night  through,  for  it  was  the  sunlight  that 
awakened  me,  and  when  I  opened  my  eyes,  there 
she  stood,  erect  and  dauntless,  matchless,  holding 
the  wheel. 


361 


CHAPTER  XXI 

AND  LOVE  ROUNDS  OUT  THE  TALE 

THERE  is  little  more  to  tell.  One  day  was 
like  another.  For  once  that  ocean  which 
I  had  always  thought  ill-called  Pacific,  did  not 
belie  its  name.  The  wind  blew  us  steadily  and 
gently  toward  the  haven  we  wished  to  reach.  It 
was  hard  work  but  we  equally  divided  watches 
and  duties,  I  attending  to  all  the  trimming  of 
the  yards,  my  mistress  doing  the  cooking,  and 
after  that  first  night  we  honorably  kept  watch 
and  watch  at  night.  I  do  not  know  what  would 
have  happened  if  it  had  come  on  to  blow,  for  I 
never  could  have  reefed  or  furled  those  sails, 
but  the  same  Providence  which  had  watched 
over  us  kept  us  in  recollection  still.  Indeed, 
save  for  a  certain  nervous  strain,  I  was  never 
better  in  my  life,  and  my  mistress  also. 

After  many  days'  sailing  we  approached  the 
South  American  coast  and  there  were  lucky 
enough  to  fall  in  with  a  Spanish  frigate.  Her 

362 


LOVE  ROUNDS  OUT  THE  TALE 

commander,  Don  Antonio  Recalde,  came  aboard 
when  he  heard  from  the  officer  whom  he  had 
sent  off  to  us  something  of  our  story.  He  was 
incredulous  at  first  and  not  until  we  showed  him 
some  of  the  jewels  did  he  believe  us.  There  was 
a  great  risk,  perhaps,  in  showing  an  ordinary 
man  such  a  valuable  treasure,  but  we  were  both 
agreed,  my  lady  and  I,  that  Don  Antonio  was  to 
be  trusted  absolutely. 

Indeed,  he  proved  himself  a  royal  fellow  in 
that  he  took  the  three  mutineers  on  his  own  ship 
and  sent  a  lieutenant  and  a  dozen  seamen  aboard 
The  Rose  of  Devon,  and  as  he  was  cruising  on  a 
roving  commission  he  convoyed  us  into  Val- 
paraiso. The  prisoners  we  turned  over  to  the 
English  representative,  to  be  tried  for  piracy  and 
murder.  A  trading  ship  bound  through  the 
Straits  of  Magellan  for  Buenos  Ayres  offered 
us  an  opportunity  to  return  to  the  Atlantic.  We 
took  advantage  of  this,  disposing  of  The  Rose 
of  Devon  to  a  firm  of  Spanish  merchants  at  Val- 
paraiso for  a  good  price  which  provided  us  with 
more  than  enough  money  for  our  return  voyage, 
and  which  relieved  us  of  the  necessity  for  offer- 
ing some  of  the  jewels  for  sale  which  would  have 

363 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

involved  explanations  and  possibly  delay  and 
confiscation. 

We  did  press  upon  Don  Antonio  an  emerald 
of  great  size  and  brilliancy  which,  generous  sea- 
man that  he  was,  he  was  loath  to  take  but  which 
my  mistress  insisted  upon,  in  addition  to  which 
he  received  a  certain  percentage  of  the  proceeds 
of  the  sale  of  The  Rose  of  Devon  as  salvage,  so 
that  he  and  his  men  were  well  rewarded  for  their 
kindness  to  us. 

From  Buenos  Ayres,  which  we  reached  with- 
out mishap,  we  took  a  coasting  vessel,  the  only 
one  that  served,  for  Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  capital 
of  the  Portuguese  possessions  in  the  Brazils. 
There  we  were  lucky  enough  to  find  a  large 
Portuguese  man-of-war  frigate  homeward  bound 
to  Lisbon,  whose  captain  obligingly  received  us 
as  passengers,  being  moved  thereto,  I  more  than 
suspect,  by  the  beauty  of  my  lady.  From  Lisbon 
by  roundabout  ways  we  finally  landed  in  Ply- 
mouth Harbor,  whence  we  had  set  forth  more 
than  a  twelvemonth  before.  How  good  it  was  to 
set  foot  on  English  ground  once  more!  Yet  I 
was  sadder  that  morning  than  I  had  been  during 
all  our  far  voyaging.  I  hired  a  private  coach 

364 


LOVE  ROUNDS  OUT  THE  TALE 

and  by  nightfall  we  ended  all  our  long  journey  at 
Master  Ficklin's  door.  He,  with  that  worthy 
kindly  woman  his  sister,  greeted  us  as  if  we  had 
risen  from  the  dead,  and  greatly  rejoicing  in  my 
lady's  good  fortune,  gave  us  the  warmest  of 
welcomes. 

That  night  I  had  what  I  expected  would  be 
my  last  interview  with  her.  We  had  been 
thrown  constantly  together  during  the  six  months 
that  had  elapsed  since  our  great  adventure  on  the 
Island  of  the  Stairs  and  our  arrival  in  England. 
We  had  discussed  everything  else,  I  think,  but 
I  had  said  naught  of  my  love.  Indeed,  each 
league  of  sea  over  which  we  passed  on  our  way 
homeward  seemed  to  remove  her  farther  from 
me.  Although  she  was  tender,  she  was  consid- 
erate, she  was  inviting,  she  was  intimate,  when 
she  was  not  arch,  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  a 
declaration. 

We  were  alone.  Good  Mistress  Ficklin  had 
given  us  her  parlor  for  the  evening.  I  took 
from  my  pockets  the  canvas  pouch  rilled  with 
her  treasure  which  I  had  detached  from  my  belt 
as  I  had  dressed  that  morning,  and  laid  it  on  the 
table. 

365 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

"This,  Mistress  Wilberforce,"  said  I,  formally 
enough,  although  my  heart  was  beating  rapidly, 
"is  yours." 

She  waved  her  hand  as  if  it  was  of  small 
moment. 

"We  have  discussed  that  before,"  she  said, 
"what  of  yourself?" 

"Last  night,"  I  replied,  "I  went  down  to  the 
docks.  A  ship  sails  for  the  East  Indies  next 
week.  They  want  a  chief  mate  and  if  my  ref- 
erences serve  they  will  engage  me." 

"And  have  you  these  references?" 

"I  thought,  madam,  that  your  friends  in  the 
city  might  give  them  to  me  when  they  know." 

"But  I  have  no  friends  in  the  city,"  she  an- 
swered promptly. 

"These,"  said  I,  pointing  to  the  table,  "will 
buy  them  for  you." 

She  stepped  over  to  the  table,  untied  the 
strings  and  upon  the  velvet  cloth  fell  the 
sparkling  gems. 

"Would  they  not  buy  friends  for  you  as  well?" 
she  asked. 

"Mistress  Lucy,"  said  I,  "I  want  but  one  thing 
in  this  world.  No  money,  no  jewels  could  buy 

366 


LOVE  ROUNDS  OUT  THE  TALE 

that,  nor  all  the  treasure  we  left  behind  upon  that 
island." 

"But  if  one  should  give  you  that,"  she  said 
very  softly,  her  eyes  on  the  table  and  her  white 
hand  lifting  the  stones  and  letting  them  fall. 

"I  am  not  worthy — to  receive  it,"  said  I. 

"And  so,"  she  said,  without  looking  at  me, 
"and  so  it  is  good-by  then.  May  you  be  happy." 

She  extended  her  hand  to  me  and  I  caught  it 
and  kissed  it  passionately,  but  when  I  made  to 
let  it  go  she  would  not. 

"Master  Hampdon,"  she  said,  looking  at  me, 
her  eyes  brighter  than  the  diamonds  and  bluer 
than  the  sapphires  upon  the  table,  "you  are  a 
fool." 

"Right  well  I  know  that,  Mistress,"  said  I, 
striving  to  fetch  a  smile  to  match  her  own. 

"And  a  blind  man  as  well." 

Whereat  I  was  a  blind  man,  indeed,  for  my 
eyes  misted  up,  but  not  with  blood  as  in  the  bat- 
tle. And  I,  as  strong  and  tough  as  a  mountain 
ash,  was  as  like  to  faint  as  any  lovesick  girl. 

"John,  John,"  came  the  sweetest  voice  on  earth 
to  me  through  the  darkness,  "don't  you  see? 
Don't  you  know  that  I  love  you  and  you  only, 

367 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

that  you  have  all  my  heart  and  that  my  life, 
which  is  yours  a  thousand  times  on  sea  and  shore, 
is  not  worth  living  without  you?" 

"But  your  friends,  your  world,"  I  protested  as 
she  came  nearer. 

"I  have  no  other  friends,  I  want  no  other,  and 
you  are  my  world." 

Well,  it  was  not  in  me  to  resist  after  that,  and 
for  the  third  time  in  my  life  I  held  her  in  my 
arms,  where  since  that  hour  she  has  often  been 
again,  and  for  the  third  time  I  drank  the  sweet- 
ness of  her  lips.  She  laughed  presently  and  I 
let  her  go  a  little,  yet  still  held  her  close,  and  she 
looked  at  me. 

"Do  you  remember  the  night  on  The  Rose  of 
Devon  when  first  you  kissed  me?" 

"If  I  should  kiss  you  a  million  times,  sweet- 
heart, as  I  mean  to  do,"  I  answered  boldly,  "I 
should  not  forget  a  single  one  of  them,  much  less 
that." 

"And  to  punish  you  for  your  presumption, 
although  my  heart  went  out  to  you  I  do  confess, 
I  struck  you;  and  to  teach  you  to  be  a  dutiful 
husband,  loving,  devoted  to  me,"  she  paused  and 
laughed  again,  "I  strike  you  once  again." 

368 


LOVE  ROUNDS  OUT  THE  TALE 

Whereat  she  laid  her  hand  once  more,  but  in 
tenderness,  upon  my  cheek,  following  it  with  a 
kiss.  I  have  had  his  Majesty's  sword  laid  upon 
my  shoulder  after  I  had  led  one  of  the  King's 
ships  to  victory  in  the  French  wars,  and  I  am 
now,  if  you  please,  Sir  John  Hampdon.  We 
live  at  Wilberforce  Castle  and  our  children  play 
on  the  sward,  but  the  royal  accolade  meant  not 
so  much  to  me  as  that  light  blow  upon  my  cheek 
with  which  my  dear  mistress  sealed  our  plighted 
troth. 


Note 

I  am  often  asked  what  became  of  the  surviv- 
ing English  on  the  island,  and  I  can  only  answer 
that  I  do  not  know.  So  far  as  I  have  learned, 
no  white  man  has  ever  visited  that  island  since 
that  day,  although  the  publication  of  these 
memoirs  may  induce  someone  to  go  there  for 
the  balance  of  the  treasure,  which  is  undoubtedly 
still  where  we  left  it.  They  were  resourceful 
sailors,  however,  and  I  have  no  doubt  if  any  of 

369 


THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  STAIRS 

them  survived  the  earthquake,  they  managed  to 
get  down  the  wall  in  some  way,  repaired  their 
canoes  perhaps  and  returned  to  the  island 
whence  they  came,  with  the  surviving  natives, 
and  they  and  their  descendants  may  be  living 
there,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  some  ship. 

I  heard  also  after  some  years,  of  the  prisoners 
we  left  in  the  hands  of  the  British  representative 
at  Valparaiso.  One  died,  one  escaped,  and  one 
was  hanged  for  the  mutiny.  Should  anyone  be 
inspired  by  the  recital  of  this  story  to  seek  the 
Island  of  the  Stairs — where  what  remains  of  the 
treasure  is  theirs  for  the  taking — and  come  upon 
these  mutineers,  they  may  assure  them  that,  so 
far  as  my  lady  and  I  are  concerned,  no  proceed- 
ings will  be  instituted  against  them.  The  lapse 
of  years  and  the  punishment  their  ringleaders 
suffered  have  rendered  any  prosecution  of  them 
impossible,  and  so  far  as  we  are  concerned  they 
may  return  to  England  or  go  where  they  will 
without  molestation.  God  has  undoubtedly 
dealt  with  them,  and  we  can  leave  their  future  to 
Him. 

JOHN  HAMPDON,  KT. 

THE  END 


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